How Montgomeryâs riverfront brawl inspired a Black, white Santa Claus bond
Alan Patrick and Rodney Flowers each grabbed a folding chair, gave suspicious glances at another and began their approach.
But this was no violent night between a white and Black Santa at Montgomery’s riverfront more than four months after a large-scale brawl erupted at the same spot that generated national attention for its racial undertones and occurring in an Alabama city once referred to as the “Cradle of the Confederacy.”
The two Jolly Ole Elves instead shook either other’s hands, opened their chairs, sat down, and toasted themselves for a traditional Santa snack of milk and cookies.
Patrick and Flowers joined together, in their complete Santa regalia, in a video released Monday showing a coming together of a Black and white Santa at the scene of the August 5 brawl on Montgomery’s riverfront.
“If two Clauses cannot bring holiday cheer to everyone, I don’t know what else can do it,” said Flowers, 30, of Montgomery.
The idea behind the video, according to Flowers and Patrick, is to show unity during the holiday season while adding a bit of humor – Santa-style – to a brawl that has been the subject of plenty of memes and humorous nicknames for its participants.
“It was just over-the-top with chairs and people jumping off the riverboat and swimming to the brawl,” said Patrick, 55, who is white and goes by Santa Alan in the Montgomery area. “It was sad and laughable at the same time.”
He added, “We felt, ‘let’s point a finger to ourselves and give a warm moment.’”
Santa Slate (Rodney Flowers, left) meets up with Santa Alan (Alan Patrick, right) at the Montgomery riverfront. The two Santas participated in a humorous video spoofing the Montgomery riverfront brawl.Courtesy of Big Dreamz Creative of Montgomery
The video, uploaded to YouTube, adds a humorous spin on a brawl captured on cellphone videos that showed a Black man being attacked by white people on the riverfront’s dock, followed up with a group of Black men coming to his assistance.
Some witnesses said they heard racial slurs during the fighting. A folding chair used during the brawl became a national meme.
“The story generated national attention,” said Patrick, noting that he felt some of the attention unfairly portrayed Montgomery as the responsible party when the brawl involved primarily a group of intoxicated white men from Selma “creating trouble.”
Patrick said the brawl served as inspiration for an idea to have a joint Santa project with Flowers, who is Black and a newcomer to the Santa trade. Patrick, the River Region Santa for the past seven years, has served as a mento for Flowers.
The two, for instance, traveled in August – a short time after the brawl – for a Santa convention in Atlanta.
Alan Patrick (left) holds up a picture of Santa Slate along with Rodney Flowers (right), who portrays one of the few Black Santas in Alabama. Together, the two participated in a YouTube video dressed as Santa providing a humorous spin on the Montgomery riverfront brawl.photo provided by Alan Patrick
“Ever since the riverfront brawl, I thought, ‘wouldn’t it be nice to do something together?’” Patrick said. “The original idea was to have a photo of us holding Hallmark ornaments, one Black and one white, showing togetherness.”
The idea then surfaced about doing a humorous video with the brawl serving as its subtext. Patrick then asked Flowers if he felt it would be in poor taste.
“We both said, ‘No.’” Patrick said.
Flowers, who goes by nickname Santa Slate, said part of the aim for doing the video is to generate attention and leads on new Santa jobs, even though both Santas admit they have been plenty busy this holiday season.
Flowers and his wife, Ashley, run a business called Our Santa, LLC. The company’s mission is to offer children of minorities with a “relatable visual with a magical experience” encountering Santa Claus. The couple is working to get a Hispanic Santa Claus on board in the years ahead.
“I understand from my community how big it was for them and for children of all races who would like to see a (Santa) that looks like them,” said Flowers, who plans to continue as a Black Santa for the foreseeable future. “When I go to schools, I’ll get teachers and librarians who come up to me and say, ‘I’ve never seen a Black Santa before.’”
Screengrab from Montgomery riverfront brawl.
Flowers said he felt the video underscores the power of the holiday season and spreading cheer and overcoming racial differences.
“We can accomplish anything together if we join hands and forces, we change the world,” Flowers said. “We hope people will see that in Montgomery, it’s not just a bunch of people down here fighting. It’s not a battle between Black and white.”