By Victoria Mejicanos
AFRO Staff Writer vmejicanos@afro.com
Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration honoring African heritage and culture, observed from Dec. 26 to Jan 1. The non-religious holiday was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga as a response to the cultural disconnection experienced by Black Americans.
Kwanzaa is based on seven core principles known as the Nguzo Saba, which include unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. Each day of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the principles, encouraging reflection and community engagement.
The AFRO spoke with people who celebrate Kwanzaa about their favorite principles, and why the holiday is important to them.
Elise Bryant is the executive director of the Labor Heritage Foundation, a cultural arts organization, and president of the Coalition of Labor Union Women. She shared that her favorite principal is Kuumba, or creativity, celebrated on day six.
“Kuumba is always doing as much as we can in all the ways we can in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it,” said Bryant.
She shared that creativity is an integral part of her life, calling theater her first love.
“I’ve used it as a way to teach and share and inspire people particularly around economic, political and social justice. I think that is really the overall principle of Kwanzaa, is that we as people of African ancestry celebrate all the aspects of our life and our culture in a way that’s been ignored.”
She shared her belief that the principle of creativity is innately human.
“It’s not just for the talented or the gifted. Every human being has the ability to sing, to dance…but also the ability to create art.”
Gordon Patton has been practicing Kwanzaa for 40 years, first learning about it at church at 23 years old.
Gordon Patton and his family celebrate Kwanzaa. He and his family host Kwanzaa events both virtually and in person. From left to right: Gordon Patton, Jeremiah Wheeler, Yoliswa Akpan, Rev. Constance Simon, his wife, Karen Patton and mother, Patricia Patton. (Courtesy photo)
He shared that his favorite principle is Ujamaa or cooperative economics, which helps people understand that Black empowerment can occur through helping each other build, maintain and support their own businesses.
“Cooperative economics is where we can support each other and I always try and support my brothers and sisters when and where I can,” said Patton.
For those that don’t celebrate Kwanzaa, Patton shared that the holiday is about people.
“It was created for us and specifically to celebrate our own heritage,” said Patton. “The principles that are used are something that we can use in our daily lives, and there’s definitely advantages to that.”
Pam Rodgers is a District of Columbia native who has been celebrating Kwanzaa since the 1980s. She shared that she does not have a favorite principle, but rather believes they should all work together on a daily basis—not just during the holiday.
“Each one has its own special kind of connection to the community that supports community life,” said Rodgers.
Rodgers views Kwanzaa as a cultural holiday that allows families to examine their values and how they should be living their lives. She explained that the key values of Kwanzaa have always been a part of African culture, but that because of slavery, although these ideas existed, they were lost.
“This was reintroducing it back into the culture of all the people who had lost it,” said Rodgers. “That’s why Kwanzaa really was embraced because people realized there was something missing there.”
She shared that now Kwanzaa is more important than ever due to recent attacks on Black history and culture.
“Taking these days off [from] all the lies and everything that we’re going through, it’s a time for people to reconnect with their cultural meaning and principles.”