Alabama State University Hornets HBCU College Santa Claus Figurine

Hornet Nation celebrates Thanksgiving at the Turkey Day Classic, and come December, black and gold still rules the house. The Alabama State University Hornets HBCU College Santa Claus Figurine dresses a 12-inch Black Santa Claus in a gold coat and stocking cap trimmed in white faux fur, with a gold toy sack bearing the black ASU hornet logo set at his feet. It is a great day to be a Hornet, and a great season to show it.

Santa in Black and Gold

A gold stocking cap with a white fur brim, a sprig of holly with red berries, and a gold bell at the tip frames Santa's sculpted brown face, rosy cheeks, and full, curly black beard. His gold coat is edged in white fur and cinched with a black belt and gold buckle. One hand holds a frosted mini Christmas tree. The other carries his naughty and nice list on a long cloth scroll. A gold twisted cord leads to the gold toy sack in front of him, printed with ASU and the hornet in black and topped with a wrapped red gift, a candy cane, and red and gold berry picks.

The Legacy Behind the Hornet

Alabama State traces its roots to 1867, when nine formerly enslaved men in Marion, Alabama, known as the Marion Nine, pooled $500 to open the Lincoln Normal School. The school relocated to Montgomery in 1887 and became Alabama State University in 1969. In December 1955, ASU professor Jo Ann Robinson and two students ran the college mimeograph machine through the night to print the leaflets that launched the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Hornets who shaped the civil rights era include the Rev. Ralph David Abernathy, class of 1950; the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, who led the movement in Birmingham; and attorney Fred Gray, who represented Rosa Parks. The Mighty Marching Hornets became the first HBCU band to lead the Rose Parade in 2019, and the Turkey Day Classic against Tuskegee, played since 1924, brings alumni home to Montgomery every Thanksgiving.

Christmas Decorations for Hornet Nation

Set this African American Santa Claus figurine on the mantel, a bookshelf, an office desk, or the holiday table. It makes a Christmas gift for a Bama State graduate far from Montgomery, a student home for winter break, or the family that plans every Thanksgiving around the Classic. Pair him with the Alabama State Proud Santa in the gold knit sweater for a two-Santa Hornet display. He arrives in a green snowflake gift box with a display window, ready to wrap or set out.