One of the most frequently asked question is can people who are not African American celebrate Kwanzaa. The answer to this is an emphatic yes! Like Cinco de Mayo and St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas and Chanukah, Kwanzaa can be celebrated by all peoples or races. Kwanzaa, to be sure, is a non heroic and...
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Now that the President Obama has been re-elected for a second term, the difficult task of governing begins again. The 7 Principles presents one of the best frameworks for measuring how successful Obama will be, and determining the fidelity to the promises made and kept by Obama. Viewed through these principles then, here is...
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It is now manifestly clear that the 7 Principles of Kwanzaa are fundamental to daily life, not just an occasion to celebrate during the seven days of the holiday. As has been said elsewhere, these seven values are the guiding principles which support and foster nurturing and caring relationships for both children and adults....
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Sisterhood and Brotherhood run deep in the African American experience. It is both a term of endearment and a call to community, to fellowship, to union. The designation of sister and brother among blacks in America has both religious and social implications. Dating back to African American enslavement, the black church saw blacks linked...
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The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa are more deeply understood by examining the cultural philosophy and ethic of Ubuntu, the foundation of many traditional African societies. Ubuntu was considered to be the ultimate African virtue. Ubuntu expressed itself as: respect full humans and human life, interdependence, empathy, harmony, solidarity, and sharing, caring, characteristics found in...
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Continuing Series The importance of children in the framework of Kwanzaa is underscored by one of its seven symbols- Corn/Muhindi. Every family, irrespective of whether they have children, place an ear of corn on the Kwanzaa set as a way of reinforcing the concept and practice that children belong to all adults. Thus, the...
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The African proverb says “a human being needs help.” The intent of this proverb, anchored in ethical and philosophical foundations of the 7 Principles of Kwanzaa, is just not to explain the world, but as APJ Roux asserts, “to prescribe a line of conduct.” In fact, in the context of the African worldview, humans...
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Central and essential to the restoration and revitalization of black and poor neighborhoods is establishment of community standards or norms. Community norms set the standard of right and wrong behavior. The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa are well-suited to serve as community standards for African American neighborhoods. What is important here and can not be...
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Continuing Series Kwanzaa places a premium and priority on the value of children. The Kwanzaa symbol Corn/Muhindi represents children. All families regardless of whether they have children place ears of corn on the Kwanzaa “Mat” in recognition that everyone is responsible for the care, welfare, and development of children. The African American community-based parenting...
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Continuing Series You hearers seers, imaginers, thinkers, remembers, you prophets call to communicate truths of the living way to a people fascinated unto death, you called to link memory with fore listening, to join the uncountable seasons of our flowing to unknown tomorrows more numerous, communicators doomed to pass on truths of our origins...
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