Happy Kwanzaa! Today in 1966, Kwanzaa was founded as an African American cultural holiday.
It is centered around seven principles based on African culture to build and reinforce community. The holiday’s name comes from the Swahili phrase “matunda ya kwanza,” meaning “first fruits.” Each of its seven days represents a “Nguzo Saba,” or principle. The celebration is held from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called Karamu, usually held on the 6th day.
- Umoja (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
- Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define and name ourselves, as well as to create and speak for ourselves.
- Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers’ and sisters’ problems our problems and to solve them together.
- Ujamaa (Cooperative economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
- Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
- Kuumba (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
- Imani (Faith): To believe with all our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.