In most African societies, riddles are a form of art. They are simple and elegant ways to communicate a lot of meaning in few words. Riddles play an important role in the traditions of African speech and conversation.  Like proverbs, African riddles are brief...
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African Proverbs Proverbs are the distilled genius of cultures. They identify and dignify a culture, bringing life into wisdom and wisdom into life. The purpose of African proverbs, just like any others, is to give people a sense of what’s right and wrong and teach...
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The Seven Principles The Seven Principles are the foundation and essential reason for celebrating the holiday. Kwanzaa was created to introduce seven guiding principles for building and restoring healthy and nurturing families and strong and supportive communities.  The core meaning of each principle is presented...
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Although Kwanzaa is a cultural and not religious holiday, those who practice the Christian Faith in America, can use the principles of Kwanzaa to build and enhance their families and  communities, and elevate the political dialogue on issues of importance to all Americans.  Hence,...
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“The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color-line.” -WEB DuBois The uptick in racist remarks and attacks on African Americans and Hispanics has caught the attention of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Color People) who of the America’s oldest...
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The election of Barack Obama has obscured the tragic and ugly side of what is happening in poor and working African America neighborhoods, especially to young black men. As Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow points out, “today an astounding percentage of...
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Surely, Anna Julia Cooper fits the criteria of Maya Angelou’s phenomenal woman which reads in part: Now you understand Just why my head’s not bowed. I don’t shout or jump about Or have to talk real loud. When you see me passing It ought to make you proud ‘Cause I’m...
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As has been well documented, in the second decade of the twentieth century, a section of New York City called Harlem became the Mecca and magnet for the coming of age of African Americans. The synergistic and cross-pollination of literature, art and music, informed...
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The Harlem Renaissance was truly a milestone and high point in African American history. Viewed as a flowering of music, literature, poetry and visual arts, the Renaissance period paralleled and reinforced the emergence of a new African personality, expressed in the “New Negro” anthology,...
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The role and contribution of Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) to development and cultivation of the Harlem Renaissance has been mainly confined to the political sphere.  Yet, Garvey and the UNIA gave impetus and expanded the cultural atmosphere of the...
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The freedom songs, lifted from the African American spirituals songs, helped to inspire and transform ordinary black people and their multiracial allies into a moral and social force, commonly known as the Civil Rights Movement. This movement, aided by the freedom songs, changed the...
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Surely, Martin Luther King had the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in mind when he asserted: “I am convinced that the student movement that was taking place all over the South in 1960 was one of the most significant developments in the whole civil...
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Here—at this final hour, in this quiet place—Harlem has come to bid farewell to one of its brightest hopes… Did you ever talk to Brother Malcolm? Did you ever touch him or have him smile at you? Did you ever really listen to him?...
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The influence and impact of Malcolm X on the 1960s Freedom Struggle and America in general is beyond category and measure. Any lack appreciation of Malcolm X’s contribution to advancement of the Black Freedom Struggle and the radicalization of America is due in large...
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Malcolm X was one of the twentieth century’s most gifted leaders and orators. He used his speeches critique American racism and to reeducate blacks regarding their identity (Africans in Americans), purpose (free themselves from racial oppression) and direction (serve as a revolutionary political and...
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Malcolm X was one of the twentieth century’s most gifted leaders and orators. He used his speeches critique American racism and to reeducate blacks regarding their identity (Africans in Americans), purpose (free themselves from racial oppression) and direction (serve as a revolutionary political and...
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Malcolm X and Martin Luther King were the defining figures of the 1960s black freedom struggle. These two towering leaders influence and determine the scope and tone of the civil rights struggle and black power movement. Through their philosophy and leadership, they set...
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Proclamation 8389 – African-American Music Appreciation Month, 2009 June 2, 2009 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation The legacy of African-American composers, singers, songwriters, and musicians is an indelible piece of our Nation’s culture. Generations of African Americans have carried forward the...
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It is indeed a rare and intriguing moment when an artist decides he or she is the instrument of history-making. ” In the closing year of the 1950s, such an artist, Miles Davis, conceived of and produce a masterpiece- Kind of Blue. A moment...
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“To take part in the African revolution it is not enough to write a revolutionary song; you must fashion the revolution with the people. And if you fashion it with the people, the songs will come by themselves and of themselves.” Sekou Toure, President...
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Motown is both a style of music and a label and is now a metaphor for success and excellence. Motown set the standard for popular music, and developed a sound which others musicians and record companies sought to emulate. No other label is more...
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You are my pride and joy And I just love you, little darlin’ Like a baby boy loves his toy You’ve got kisses sweeter than honey And I work seven days a week to give you all my money And that’s why you are my pride and joy And I’m...
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In order to achieve real action, you must yourself be a living part of Africa and of her thought; you must be an element of that popular energy which is entirely called forth for the freeing, the progress, and the happiness of Africa. There...
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In 1971, Marvin Gaye articulated what was on the minds of most people in America with his landmark single and album “What’s Going On.” The content of What’s Going On was that of a politically charged and deeply personal Motown album, and was notable...
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Kwanzaa is a value-based holiday Kwanzaa which promotes seven values listed below. Let take a mid-year inventory to see how well we are keeping our commitments and how much positive change we have engendered. Unity Principle 1. Togetherness & Harmony UMOJA (00-MOE-JAH) UNITY: To strive...
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African Americans have always been conflicted with the 4th of July celebration. Barack Obama, first black president of the United States, noted in his “A More Perfect Union” speech in Philadelphia, March 2008: Two hundred and twenty one years ago, in a hall that...
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