A 5-year-old girl went to visit Santa Claus but found bigotry wearing a white beard and red suit. The year was 1959. The place was Alabama. The young girl was Condoleezza Rice.
“I’ll tell you an interesting story,” Rice said this past Sunday as we stood in a hallway near the locker rooms of Empower Field at Mile High prior to the Denver Broncos’ home game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
This is a story of how hope triumphs over hate.
“I’m 5 years old and going to see Santa Claus. Santa Claus is taking all the little white kids and putting them on his knee while holding the black kids at arm’s length.