Happy Kwanaa from Hip Hop Enquirer to You and Yours!

Kwanzaa is an African-American and Pan-African holiday which dates back to 1966, when it was founded by California State University professor Dr. Maulana Karenga. Kwanzaa celebrations include African drums, singing, dancing, poetry, and a family meal. A candle is lit on each of the seven nights of Kwanzaa in honor of the seven principles of the […]

Kwanzaa is an African-American and Pan-African holiday which dates back to 1966, when it was founded by California State University professor Dr. Maulana Karenga.

Kwanzaa celebrations include African drums, singing, dancing, poetry, and a family meal. A candle is lit on each of the seven nights of Kwanzaa in honor of the seven principles of the holiday: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. A discussion of the principle is hosted after the candle is lit.

	Umoja (Unity) To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.
	Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.
	Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) To build and maintain our community together and make our brother’s and sister’s 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 heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.
	­ Maulana Karenga