Habari Gani? Happy Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa
 December 26- January 1
Celebrating Family, Community, and Culture

Kwanzaa is a non religious pan African holiday celebrated by many African Americans. Kwanzaa's origin is in the first harvest celebrations of Africa, which is also where it takes its name. Kwanzaa was found in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga during the Black Freedom movement.

"First, Kwanzaa was created to reaffirm and restore our rootedness in African culture. It is, therefore, an expression of recovery and reconstruction of African culture which was being conducted in the general context of the Black Liberation Movement of the '60's and in the specific context of The Organization Us, the founding organization of Kwanzaa and the authoritative keeper of its tradition. Secondly, Kwanzaa was created to serve as a regular communal celebration to reaffirm and reinforce the bonds between us as a people. It was designed to be an ingathering to strengthen community and reaffirm common identity, purpose and direction as a people and a world community.  Thirdly, Kwanzaa was created to introduce and reinforce the Nguzo Saba (the Seven Principles.) These seven communitarian African values are: Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and Imani (Faith). This stress on the Nguzo Saba was at the same time an emphasis on the importance of African communitarian values in general, which stress family, community and culture and speak to the best of what it means to be African and human in the fullest sense. And Kwanzaa was conceived as a fundamental and important way to introduce and reinforce these values and cultivate appreciation for them," (Dr. Maulana Karenga). 
Today is the first day of Kwanzaa. Today we celebrate Umoja meaning Unity. We must strive for and maintain unity within the family, community, nation and race.

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