In August of 2006, Dalia Ziada, a young Egyptian writer, discovered her favorite comic-book action hero. He trumpeted justice. He preached of nonviolent pressure. And he had dreams of a promised land that protest might bring. Ziada had just heard the words of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. “It was amazing and really moved me,” says Ziada, now 29 and a Cairo-based activist. “Since then, I decided to use MLK nonviolent strategies in everything in my life, starting from my personal life to major political participation and civil problems – and it worked perfectly.”

Ziada was motivated politically, as she decided to translate a half-century-old American comic book about King into Arabic. “The main motive [was] for me to have this book available for the young activists in the region,” says Ziada, noting that King was a young man “when he launched his movement.”

Since first publishing the book in 2008, Ziada and her group, the American Islamic Congress, say they have distributed thousands of Arabic-language issues of “Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story” in the Middle East, including in Tahrir Square at the height of January’s revolution.

The book is testament not only to the power of King’s message, Ziada says, but also to the popularity of cartooning in the Arab world, especially among the younger generation. And she is just one of many Arab comic publishers and cartoonists who believe passionately that their work can help inform, inflame and open the hearts and minds of their Mideast readers.

“I want to say,” Political cartoonist Amr Okasha, Egypt before the January 25 revolution is not the Egypt now – and the future will be better than today.”  Ziada has faith that the message of nonviolent protest can continue to resonate with young comics readers in Egypt. The comic she translated into Arabic, “The Montgomery Story” (about the Montgomery bus boycott), was published in 1958 by the Fellowship of Reconciliation. “The book is an inspiration to all young people, and it helped so many understand the core strategy of the American civil rights movement and compare it to other nonviolent movements in India and South Africa,” says Zaida.

“The story of MLK is universal because it focuses on the human side inside
all of us,” Ziada adds. “It is about bringing justice to all. . . . The
people in the Middle East are hungry for this knowledge, and they [are]
surely inspired by MLK.”

President Obama commenting on the peaceful protests by the Egyptians which led to revolution and the overthrow of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak quoted Martin Luther King to capture the meaning of the historical moment: “There’s something in the soul that cries for freedom.” That MLK is still revered and a reference for social change is a tribute to his contribution of enhancing the human condition and transforming people and society in the process.

For more information on the life and times of MLK, go to:   http://www.onlinecollegecourses.com/life-of-mlk. This is a fine course and site. We celebrate and honor the work and achievement of Martin Luther King, Jr, our hero in history.

Thus, beginning with MLK, the Kwanzaa Guide will advance a more complete and honest narrative of American history through the lens of Black History. As such, the narrative of MLK, for example,  is too often sanitized in order to fit the image of MLK as a non threatening figure in American history. Here we will debunk this image and present narrative of King as an evolving social justice activist who fused religion, spirituality and philosophy with activism.

We will revisit King’s historical “I Have A Dream” speech. This speech not only re-energized the civil rights movement, but made American re-imagine the nation and the concept of citizenship. We will also critique President Barack Obama through the work and views of MLK. And, finally we will assess the state of America and black people, using the ethical and social standards advanced by MLK.

A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture

The Principle Imani: “Commitment, duty, and obligation to trust and believe in our people and our parents and our meet all challenges and to make progress.”

Faith Theme: Believing in ourselves and our people

Today is the seventh and final day of Kwanzaa. Families, friends, and communities come together on this day assess, reassess, celebrate and recommit themselves to practicing the Imani principle.  Faith is the bedrock principle. Faith, as Mary McLeod Bethune said, “is the first factor in a life devoted to service. Without faith, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible. Faith in God is the greatest power, but great, too, is faith in oneself.”  Faith has been ever present in the black experience in America. At our most unpromising moments, faith has carried us forward, making us more hopeful. The infamous The Dred Scott decision, declaring that all blacks- those enslaved as well as those who were free -were not and could never become citizens of the United States, was a cause for despair. In response to this decision, Frederick Douglass would do his customary thing: He would begin with hope in his speeches, uttering “I walk by faith and not by sight.” And, of course, the second stanza of the Black National Anthem is an ode to faith:

Stony the road we trod,
bitter the chastening rod,
felt in the day that hope unborn had died;
yet with a steady beat,
have not our weary feet,
come to the place on which our fathers sighed?
we have come over a way that with tears has been watered;
we have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
out from the gloomy past, till now we stand at last
where the white gleam of our star is cast.

On Faith

“Faith is the substance and spirit which makes “tired hearts refreshed and dead hopes stir with the nearness of life; faith is the “promise of tomorrow at the close of everyday, the triumph of life in the defiance of death, and the assurance that love is sturdier than hate, right is more confident than wrong, that good is more permanent than evil.”

- Howard Thurman

Ingathering Activity: During the morning, afternoon, or evening, family (and friends) gathers around the “Kwanzaa Set” to light the green candle and talk about ways they have demonstrated trust and belief in each other. Moreover, today is time for reflection and centering yourself. It may include letter writing, singing, poetry, folktales or proverbs or narratives in African American History which illuminate and reinforce the faith principle. This is the day also where families reflect back on the previous days of Kwanzaa and again celebrate the joy of living and the love which abounds in the family.

As with the other days of Kwanzaa the families discuss and evaluate commitments and practices around the faith principle, recommitting themselves to practicing this principle in greater measure in 2013.

Remembrance Activity (Optional): One of the activities in conjunction or separate from the ingathering activity is the remembrance of family members, friends, and significance others who have passed on and transition from this life. During Kwanzaa, we raise the names of our love ones who are no longer with us, but whose love and spirit we carry forth in our own lives.

In Remembrance

Those who are dead are never gone,

they are there in the thickening shadow.

The dead are not under the earth

they are in the tree that rustles.”

Libation Statement (Optional)

Candle Lighting Activity: On the seventh day of Kwanzaa the family lights the green candle. This candle is symbolic of hope and future. The placement and order of the Kwanzaa candles teach and reinforce valuable lessons for the family. The lesson here is that we light the green candle to reinforce the value and priority we place our future.

Karamu (Feast) and Celebration: Enjoy yourself and the delicious food; this is time for celebrate the joy of living, love among family and friends and the achievement of which have been attained throughout the year.

A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture

The Principle Kuumba: “Commitment, duty, and obligation to the practice of continuous improvement.”

Creativity Theme: Leaving our families, community, and world a better place to live, work, and love

Today is the six day of Kwanzaa. Families, friends, and communities come together on this day assess, reassess, celebrate and recommit themselves to bettering the lives of their families, communities, and indeed the world.  The story of Lewis Latimer is marvelous example of the creativity principle. Latimer was a collaborative partner with Alexander Bell, Hiram Maxim and Thomas Edison. Bell invention of the telephone was incomplete and made possible with the drafting and drawing of the patent by Latimer. Thomas Edison invention of the light blub was inefficient, cost prohibitive, and ineffectual. Thus, it was left up to Latimer to improve upon the technology that was before him and invent the first carbon filament light bulb by combing previous manufacturing techniques with several new materials. Latimer’s light bulb was cost effective and long lasting, allowing families and businesses to live by lights. Thus, Latimer embodies the creativity principle and is a model to emulate.

Ingathering Activity: During the morning, afternoon, or evening, family (and friends) gathers around the “Kwanzaa Set” to light the red candle, share memories and stories of how they have contributed to bettering their family, school, faith-based institution, community; poetry, song, or historical accomplishments may be cited to reinforce and make reference to the defining elements of the creativity principle; and families  discuss and evaluate commitments and practices around the creativity principle, and make commitments  around the creativity  principle for 2013.

Remembrance Activity (Optional): One of the activities in conjunction or separate from the ingathering activity is the remembrance of family members, friends, and significance others who have passed on and transition from this life. During the first day of Kwanzaa, we raise the names of our love ones who are no longer with us, but whose love and spirit we carry forth in our own lives.

Libation Statement (Optional)

Candle Lighting Activity: On the six day of Kwanzaa the family lights the red candle. This candle is symbolic of struggle- continuous effort and work. The placement and order of the Kwanzaa candles teach and reinforce valuable lessons for the family. The lesson here is that we light the red candle to reinforce the value and priority we place struggle as the method for creating progress.

Karamu (Feast) and Celebration: Enjoy yourself and the delicious food; this is time for celebrate the joy of living, love among family and friends and the achievement of which have been attained throughout the year.

“A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture”

Nia/Purpose: “Commitment, duty, and obligation to contribute to the morally serious purpose and noble goal, of nation building, i.e. , the quest to recover and restore the African American family, community, and people as a whole”

Nia Theme: “Nation Building”

Today is the fourth day of Kwanzaa. Family (and friends) come together to celebrate the Nia principle. Nia/Purpose principle is a call to nation building, a call to rehabilitate and restore African Americans to their traditional greatness, beginning at the level of the family. The African proverb is strikingly insightful in illuminating the centrality of the family in the nation building project, declaring: “The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people.” And, conversely, the development and elevation of the nation begins in the home. This is an affirmation that nation building begins at the smallest level, the family.

The Nation Building Project: “Up You Mighty People”

Marcus Garvey led the first mass black movement of the twentieth century.  The Garvey movement called upon Africans everywhere to work reclaim Africa, struggle to reclaim their better selves, and strive to restore their history and humanity. Marcus Garvey believed in the primacy of race as the starting point for the liberation of all African people. Central to Garvey’s “race first” philosophy was the doctrine self-reliance and self determination, and nationhood.

The central focus of the Garvey Movement was the idea of nation building-the building of strong independent black nations, which would take its rightful place among the communities of nations. The reclaiming and restoring Africa was the linchpin Garvey’s nation building strategy.  The starting point for the nation building efforts was the creation of an African centric culture which would reinforce a positive black self-image and a can-do ethos of nation building.  A great many of the activities of the UNIA were designed to serve this purpose. “Nation building is our program, not building apartment houses or churches, that too small a job for us”, thundered Marcus Garvey’s wife, Amy Jacques Garvey.

Ingathering Activity: Today we come together as family to talk about the principle Nia and how we have observed this principle in practice throughout the year. To be sure, nation building begins in the home. Therefore, the family engages in conversation around the duty and obligation to contributing to the noble mission of elevating African Americans by first developing yourself and your family, and then deciding in what ways you can involve yourself- through an organized effort, can you serve your people.

Remembrance Activity: Family members may in various ways raise the names of love ones who have passed on.  In speaking their names and talking about their deeds, service, and accomplishment, we evoke their spiritual presence and ensure that they will live on forever.

Libation: Optional

Candle Lighting Activity: On the fifth day of Kwanzaa the family lights the green candle. This candle is symbolic of hope and future. The placement and order of the Kwanzaa candles teach and reinforce valuable lessons for the family. The lesson here is that we light the green candle to reinforce the value and priority we place our future.

Assessment and Commitment: Family members take inventory and discuss what efforts they have made toward keeping their Nia commitment and recommit themselves to the practice of this principle in 2013.

Kwanzaa Journal (Optional): Record you Nia commitment in your journal

Karamu (Feast) and Celebration: Enjoy yourself and the delicious food; this is time for celebrate the joy of living, love among family and friends and the achievement of which have been attained throughout the year.

Note: Gifts may be given on any of the seven days of Kwanzaa.

HAPPY KWANZAA

“A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture”

Ujamaa/Cooperative Economic: “Commitment, duty, and obligation to promote and help build and maintain cooperative enterprises and initiatives the services of the family, neighborhood, and the human good.”

Ujamaa Theme: “Sharing and Caring”

Today is the fourth day of Kwanzaa. Family (and friends) come together to celebrate the Ujamaa principle. This principle is grounded in the unselfish concern for and devotion to the material well-being of others. To be sure, this principle sets in motion a “thick set of concentric circles of obligations and responsibilities evolving round levels of relationships radiating from the biological and extended family to the wider circumference of the neighborhood and others. In our own history, we have a compelling model of cooperative economic- Negro” Baseball Leagues. We would do well to study and emulate this model.

A Model of Cooperative Economics: “Negro” Baseball Leagues

During the period of American history known as “Jim Crow,” one of the most thriving institutions in black life was the Black Baseball Leagues. The leagues were among the largest black businesses in the United States. The roots of black baseball’s organizational structure coincided with the rise of mutual aid societies in the 1840s. Mutual aid societies were essential in conjunction with the church, in forming the nucleus for the modern black community.

What is fascinating and instructive about the formation of the “Negro Leagues” was that they had to operate their “established segregated enterprise within the fabric of a national economy. As Michael E. Lomax notes: Black baseball magnates utilized a business concept know as cooperative enterprises…From the outset, early black entrepreneurs recognized that any success in developing black businesses to some sense of stability could occur through economic cooperation. Thus, the consolidation of resources became a means to establish black enterprises.” To be sure, the Black Baseball Leagues serve as a compelling and instructive model of cooperative economics.

Ingathering Activity: Today we come together as family to talk about the principle Ujamaa and how we have observed this principle in practice throughout the year. Like the Ujima, Ujamaa is a multiplier principle in that it impacts and reinforces the other principles. The model for cooperative economic must begin in the family. That is to say, the value and commitment for sharing is created and cultivate in the home. Therefore, today we discuss ways of revenue sharing in the family. From the family we want to discuss the possibility of expanding to the larger community. We already have some forms of revenue sharing such as investment clubs. Employing the principle Ujamaa in the family unit and extended family is a small step toward addressing the economic well-being of African Americans.

Remembrance Activity: Family members may in various ways raise the names of love ones who have passed on.  In speaking their names and talking about their deeds, service, and accomplishment, we evoke their spiritual presence and ensure that they will live on forever.

Libation: Optional

Candle Lighting Activity: On the fourth day of Kwanzaa the family lights the red candle. This candle is symbolic of struggle- continuous effort and work. The placement and order of the Kwanzaa candles teach and reinforce valuable lessons for the family. The lesson here is that we light the red candle to reinforce the value and priority we place struggle as the method for creating progress.

Assessment and Commitment: Family members take inventory and discuss what efforts they have made toward keeping their Ujamaa commitment and recommit themselves to the practice of this principle in 2013.

Kwanzaa Journal (Optional): Record you Ujamaa commitment in your journal

Karamu (Feast) and Celebration: Enjoy yourself and the delicious food; this is time for celebrate the joy of living, love among family and friends and the achievement of which have been attained throughout the year.

Note: Gifts may be given on any of the seven days of Kwanzaa.

HAPPY KWANZAA

A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture

Ujima/Collective Work and Responsibility: “Commitment, duty, and obligation to work together with others to solve our family and community problems together and engage in collective projects that will advance the well-being of the family, neighborhood, and the common good.”

Ujima Theme: “Be Watchful over Each Other”

Today is the third day of Kwanzaa. Family (and friends) come together to celebrate the Ujima principle. To be sure, this principle cultivates the greatest sense and practice of empathy. Being empathic is not just an emotional feeling, but a critical component of our humanity. The African maxim give voice to this notion: “A human needs help.” The “imperative here is to act because our families and people deserve t be helped. This notion  is “born of an acute sense of the essential dependency of the human condition.” The African proverb underscores the concept and value of interdependency reasoning: “A human being is not a palm tree as to be self-sufficient.” Humans, therefore, at all times directly or indirectly, need the help of others. The story of Akeelah and the Bee is portrait of the effectiveness of the Ujima principle.

The Story Akeelah and the Bee

The book and movie, Akeelah and the Bee,  is a potent example of the Ujima principle. It tell a beautiful story of 11 year old Akeelah Anderson who lives in South Los Angeles.  Akeelah is a gifted student who must overcome personal challenges and those within her community in order to make her way to the National Spelling Bee. Akeelah soon discovers the Spelling Bee circuit is a highly competitive.  The Spelling Bee isn’t a game – it’s a challenging contest requiring students to know Latin and Greek. Students have to know the origin of words and their definitions.  Many of the entrants have returned year after year in search of the elusive Spelling Bee Championship. In addition, many of the students are coached privately by parents, participate in spelling groups, move in the same social circles (such as birthday parties) and have strong financial/emotional support systems.

After seeing Akeelah discouraged by the competitiveness at the national level, Akeelah’s mother helps Akeelah with her spelling and points out Akeelah has “50,000 coaches in the neighborhood if she would just look around.” Akeelah discovers her mother’s statement about 50,000 coaches in the neighborhood is true.  The entire neighborhood lends support.  The men at the local gathering place begin to watch Akeelah on TV and cheer Akeelah on!  Even the local drug lord insist Akeelah’s brother help her win the Bee. Akeelah goes on to win the National Spelling Bee Contest.

Ingathering Activity: Today we come together as family to talk about the principle Ujima and how we have observed this principle in practice throughout the year. As with the previous principles, the family engages in an enjoyable conversation around the practice of this principle, beginning in the family and spreading outward. This principle, like Umoja and Ujamaa is a multiplier. That is to say, it exponentially impacts the other principles.

Remembrance Activity: Like the previous days, families may in various ways raise the names of love ones who have passed on.  In speaking their names and talking about their deeds, service, and accomplishment, we evoke their spiritual presence and ensure that they will live on forever.

Libation: Optional

Candle Lighting Activity: On the third day of Kwanzaa the family lights the green candle. This candle is symbolic of hope and future. The placement and order of the Kwanzaa candles teach and reinforce valuable lessons for the family. The lesson here is that we light the green candle to reinforce the value and priority we place our future.

Assessment and Commitment: Family members take inventory and discuss what efforts they have made toward keeping Ujima commitment and recommit themselves to the practice of this principle in 2013.

Kwanzaa Journal (Optional): Record you Ujima commitment in your journal

Karamu (Feast) and Celebration: Enjoy yourself and the delicious food; this is time for celebrate the joy of living, love among family and friends and the achievement of which have been attained throughout the year.

Note: Gifts may be given on any of the seven days of Kwanzaa.

HAPPY KWANZAA

A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture

The Kujichagulia Principle:: “Commitment, duty, and responsibility to speak and act in the interest of African Americans and the human good.”

Kujichagulia Theme: Dignity and Respect

Today is the second day of Kwanzaa. Family (and friends) come together to celebrate the Self-Determination principle. At the core of the self-determination principle is history and culture, i.e., African American’s contribution and special place in the world, which is indelibly linked to their collective dignity and respect.  This principle makes clear that African Americans have a duty and responsibility to know and their history and culture. The Harlem Renaissance is a powerful illustration of the Kujichagulia Principle.

The Harlem Renaissance Creating National Culture

We create and recreate ourselves as a people through our national or classic culture. This is the way the world knows and respects us as a people, who have and are contributing to the vast reservoir of human knowledge. The Harlem Renaissance illustrates the principle and practice of self-determination. Nathan Irvin Huggins writes the Harlem Renaissance movement was the birth of African Americans as a people.

It is a rare and intriguing moment when a people decide that they are the instruments of history-making and race-building. It is common enough to think of oneself as part of some larger meaning in the sweep of history, a part of some grand design. But to presume to be an actor and creator in the special occurrence of a people’s birth (or rebirth) requires a singular self-consciousness. In the opening decades of the twentieth century, down into the first years of he Great Depression, black intellectuals in Harlem had just such a self-concept.

Thus, today we want to reaffirm and celebrate our collective identity as a free, proud, productive people by emulating the artist and leaders of this defining movement, a cultural movement which gave America its popular and classic music and enriched and expanded the cultural production in America.

Ingathering Activity: Today we come together as family (and friends) to talk about the principle Kujichagulia and how we have observed this principle in practice throughout the year. As with the principle Umoja, the practice of Kujichagulia begins in the home-how much African (American) art, music, literature do have in our homes, and how often do we talk about black history. For as the Father of Black History, Carter G Woodson taught us, “Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.” Woodson goes on to say, “The mere imparting of information is not education. Above all things, the effort must result in making a man think and do for himself.”

Remembrance Activity: Like Umoja Day, families may in various ways raise the names of love ones who have passed on.  In speaking their names and talking about their deeds, service, and accomplishment, we evoke their spiritual presence and ensure that they will live on forever.

Libation: Optional

Candle Lighting Activity: On the second day of Kwanzaa the family lights the red candle. This candle is symbolic of struggle- continuous effort and work. The placement and order of the Kwanzaa candles teach and reinforce valuable lessons for the family. The lesson here is that we light the red candle to reinforce the value and priority we place struggle as the method for creating progress.

Assessment and Commitment: Family members take inventory and discuss what efforts they have made toward keeping their Kujichagulia commitment and recommit themselves to the practice of this principle in 2013.

Kwanzaa Journal (Optional): Record you Kujichagulia commitment in your journal

Karamu (Feast) and Celebration: Enjoy yourself and the delicious food; this is time for celebrate the joy of living, love among family and friends and the achievement of which have been attained throughout the year.

Note: Gifts may be given on any of the seven days of Kwanzaa.

HAPPY KWANZAA

A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture

The Principle Umoja: “Commitment, duty, and obligation to make every effort to promote and   practice harmony and togetherness in the family, community, nation and race, minimizing behaviors and actions which bring about and foster conflict and dissension.”

Unity Theme: Togetherness & Harmony

Today is the first day of Kwanzaa. Millions will come together in the context of family and community to celebrate the start of the Kwanzaa holiday. For family and friends, today more than any other day is the time to engage in conversation and activities which reinforce and strengthen the bonds of affection. The practice of unity begins in the family and spreads in concentric circles to friends/peers, community, and the nation. The African proverb says, “The success or ruin of a people begins in the family.” Hence, the family, during the day engages in an activity which reinforces family togetherness (e. g., family walk, watching a movie together, your choice).

Meditation on Unity

The word is that the women and the men

will love again, families will reappear

and children playing and growing

will be commonplace & contiguous.

-Haki Madbututi

Ingathering Activity: During the morning, afternoon, or evening, family (and friends) gathers around the “Kwanzaa Set” to light the black candle, share memories, talk about the love and affection between family members, share highlights of family events, activities or significant dates, i.e., birthdays or graduation), drink from the Unity Cup (not mandatory), tell or read stories, folktales, or proverbs,  discuss and evaluate commitments and practices around the Umoja principle, and make Umoja commitments for 2013.

Remembrance Activity: One of the activities in conjunction or separate from the ingathering activity is the remembrance of family members, friends, and significance others who have passed on and transition from this life. During the first day of Kwanzaa, we raise the names of our love ones who are no longer with us, but whose love and spirit we carry forth in our own lives.

Libation Statement (Optional)

The libation statement as well as the pouring of libation is optional. Both the statement and the pouring of libation are done to honor our ancestors on the continent of Africa, and our historical and family ancestors in the United States. It is a way to consecrate the dead and to raise their spiritual souls. It too is a means of remembering those who have passed: grandmothers and grandfathers, mother and fathers, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, husband and wives, siblings, and, friends.

Libation Statement: We call upon our ancestors far and near, Fathers of our fathers, Mothers of our mothers, to bear witness to what we have done, and by their example, to continue to inspire us to make progress, and achieve morally and socially at our highest potential. We pour this libation to bring into our midst their venerable spirit, radiating their great wisdom, courage, dedication, and unyielding commitment to live ethical and productive lives. It is in honor of them that we pour this libation. We pour for Jesse and Martha Williams, Althea Benjamin and Major Anderson, Malcolm X and Ella Baker, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Fannie Lou Hamer, and countless others who have sacrificed and made possible for us to live with greater freedom and dignity, opportunity and imagination.

Candle Lighting Activity: On the first day of Kwanzaa the family lights the black candle. This candle is symbolic of the black people. The placement and order of the Kwanzaa candles teach and reinforce valuable lessons for the family. The lesson here is that we light the black candle first to reinforce the value and priority we place on our lives, beginning with our family members and expanding outward. This is also an excellent time to make your 2013 commitments and record them in your Kwanzaa journal.

Karamu (Feast) and Celebration: Enjoy yourself and the delicious food; this is time for celebrate the joy of living, love among family and friends and the achievement of which have been attained throughout the year.

Note: Gifts may be given on any of the seven days of Kwanzaa.

Statement by President Obama and Michelle Obama on Kwanzaa

Michelle and I send warm wishes to all those celebrating Kwanzaa this holiday season.

This is a joyous time of year when African Americans and all Americans come together to celebrate our blessings and the richness of our cultural traditions. This is also a time of reflection and renewal as we come to the end of one year and the beginning of another.

The Kwanzaa message tells us that we should recall the lessons of the past even as we seize the promise of tomorrow.

The seven principles of Kwanzaa – Unity, Self Determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith – express the values that have inspired us as individuals and families; communities and country.

These same principles have sustained us as a nation during our darkest hours and provided hope for better days to come. Michelle and I know the challenges facing many African American families and families in all communities at this time, but we also know the spirit of perseverance and hope that is ever present in the community.

It is in this spirit that our family extends our prayers and best wishes during this season and for the New Year to come.