Kwanzaa is a black, African and Pan-African commemoration with a celebration of family, community, and culture. It was created in 1966 by professor of African Studies, Dr. Maulana Karenga, a Black American scholar, partly inspired by Umkhosi Wokweshwama, or more recently known as Umkhosi Woselwa (“first fruits festival”).
The following excerpt by Frank Dobson provides greater context for me today than ever before. He writes:
“Kwanzaa was created out of the turbulent times of the 1960’s in Los Angeles, following the 1965 Watts riots, when a young African-American was pulled over on suspicions of drunk driving, resulting in an outbreak of violence. Subsequently, Dr. Karenga founded an organization called Us – meaning, black people – which promoted black culture. The purpose of the organization was to provide a platform, which would help to rebuild the Watts neighborhood through a strong organization rooted in African culture. Dr. Karenga called its creation an act of cultural discovery, which simply meant that he wished to point African-Americans to greater knowledge of their African heritage and past. Rooted in the struggles and the gains of the civil rights and black power movements of the 1950s and 1960s, it was a way of defining a unique black American identity. As Keith A. Mayes, a scholar of African-American history, notes in his book, “For Black power activists, Kwanzaa was just as important as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Kwanzaa was their answer to what they understood as the ubiquity of white cultural practices that oppressed them as thoroughly as had Jim Crow laws.”
Beginning on Saturday, December 26, and ending Friday, January 1, 2021, members of our University community and around our world will be spending time filled with feast, entertainment, reflection, and recommitments. The latest research indicates about 12-15 million people in the U.S. celebrate Kwanzaa. If it is not within your custom to celebrate Kwanzaa, consider this time to learn Black history and more about Kwanzaa:
- Triumphs of African Americans in politics, literature, music, science, and beyond
- Artistic, cultural, and political achievements of African Americans
- 13 books on the history of black America for those who really want to learn
- Kwanzaa: The Making of a Black Nationalist Tradition, 1966-1990
- Kwanzaa: The Emergence of an African-American Holiday
- Spotify playlist (please note: 2 songs labeled with explicit language)
- Kwanzaa Culinarians recipes and stories celebrating Kwanzaa.
For more information, please visit the Official Kwanzaa Website. For further education and development related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, please find additional sources located under DDEI Education and Resources on the Division of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion site and at UNC Libraries under DEI & Antiracism Resources.
