Interest in Kwanzaa varies. But its 7 principles have virtues we all can embrace.
For as long as I can remember, my Aunt Vera sent cards for Kwanzaa in lieu of Christmas.
Those cards always are adorned with a kinara – a seven-prong candleholder and one of Kwanzaa’s many symbols. Or they had some similar festive image regaling the signature colors of red, black and green, and gold.
Most in my family indulge in Christmas, but Aunt Vera is among the few anywhere I know who actively celebrates Kwanzaa. Her correspondence arrives like clockwork on Dec. 26 – the first day in this weeklong holiday honoring family, history, values and community. Given the unpredictability of the U.S. mail system, especially in December, the card always made me smile.
It’s “my self-determination” to get it done, I can almost hear her saying. Self-determination, known in Kiswahili as “Kujichagulia,” is among the seven principles hallmarked in this holiday that began in 1966. It means “to define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.” Though I don’t celebrate Kwanzaa, its seven principles have virtues we all can embrace.
For me, self-determination resonates the most. Of all Kwanzaa’s seven principles — unity, self-determination, community, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose and faith— which one resonates with you?
Kujichagulia, (I love saying that) self-determination, is what keeps me on track for the deadlines of my busy life — well mostly. Self-determination is what gets me through challenging situations, enabling me to summon my resolve. It gives me the fuel to stand up for what I believe in or to put the brakes on when I think someone is trying to put me in a category. I define me.
Self-determination also is the cornerstone of Kwanzaa and offers a different interpretation. The Pan-African holiday was born out of the 1960s civil unrest erupting around the nation and mainly the riots happening in Watts, California. Maulana Ron Karenga, a scholar and activist, is widely credited as the force who created this holiday.
At the time, Karenga was a doctoral student and a member of the US Organization, a Black nationalist group, when the holiday began. The group was counter to the Black Panthers and more of a cultural nationalist organization, emphasizing Black people to develop a new Afro-centric identity, says Dan Aldridge, chair and professor of Africana Studies at Davidson College. Part of the Kwanzaa celebration is helping to create that identity and self-determination in community. Kwanzaa also adopts traditions based on the first-fruits harvest festival,” heralded in most east African nations.
Kwanzaa presented itself as a call to action during a tumultuous era for the Black community, urging it to define itself, to carve its own path and embrace seven principles called the Nguzo Saba. These guide holiday participants to take one day reflecting on each principle and honor them.
Primarily, Kwanzaa is to celebrate African culture in African American communities, says Akin Ogundiran, Chancellor’s Professor, and professor of Africana Studies, at UNC Charlotte. He adds, “once you are able to know where you stand with your culture, then you can then build community.”
Kwanzaa celebrates unity with nature, with our rivers, with our trees, with our soils – this originally was an agrarian society, Ogundiran says.
“In a spiritual sense, we are very close to nature. We are all united and we come from the same spark of creation,” he said. “These are the things that Kwanzaa is about.”
In that respect, it was a seminal moment for Black Americans and the concept gained momentum in the decades that have passed. Much has been written about Kwanzaa from scores of historians and academics, including the not so flattering details about its founder’s crimes. Despite that, Kwanzaa has evolved, says Aldridge, given its commercialization, such as many holidays falling during the season (Christmas and Hanukkah, for example).
“That shows how mainstream it’s become and how quickly a holiday (that) was formed by a black radical group could be very alternative,” he said.
Anecdotally, millions in the United States and worldwide celebrate and acknowledge both Christmas and Kwanzaa, scholars say, though there doesn’t appear to be one centralized place where these kinds of stats are kept.
However, amid contemporary concerns -- inflation, job security, poverty, education, the pandemic, social justice — and that list goes on, Kwanzaa’s popularity to me seems mixed. It’s mixed at least with the modest sampling of Black people I’ve checked in with. It depends on who we talk to, right? But that’s not nearly enough of a baseline to present an opinion or even judgment on the state of Kwanzaa in 2022.
So I submit this: What do these hallowed principles mean for everyone? Is there a place for Kwanzaa all year long in our busy lives? For me there is. For the remainder of our carved out holiday season, I encourage everyone to consider the Kwanzaa principles, not only during this Monday through New Year’s Day period, but throughout 2023 and beyond. In the same vein as the bountiful harvest it pays tribute to, with Kwanzaa, there’s plenty for everyone.
As for Aunt Vera, this Monday I’ll glance out the window at my mailbox and await with appreciation her coming salutation.
Happy Kwanzaa!
This story was originally published December 26, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
