End of Kwanzaa honors faith, identity

By Sean Barron

Several youngsters were given African names that describe many of their positive attributes.

YOUNGSTOWN — If a name can do justice to describing a person’s character, then Jonesha Floyd must be proud of her new one.

Jonesha, a 13-year-old P. Ross Berry Middle School pupil, had the African name Akilah ascribed to her during a naming ceremony that was part of Thursday’s final Kwanzaa celebration for 2008. Among other things, Akilah means intelligent.

“I was scared at first, but it was a lot of fun,” she added.

A few hundred people came to the program at the McGuffey Centre, 1649 Jacobs Road, on the city’s East Side, which marked the end of seven days’ worth of Kwanzaa observances.

The event spotlighted the seventh principle of Kwanzaa, Imani (faith), featured plenty of dancing and music, and concluded with a Karamu (community feast).

Jonesha was one of five youngsters to be in the naming ceremony; the girls were given African names that reflected several strengths and positive qualities attributed to them.

Many black people brought to this country were deliberately stripped of their identities, and the ceremony is based largely on an African tradition of helping youth reconnect with their African heritage, a few organizers noted.

After having her new name bestowed on her, Jonesha, along with Michelle Douglas and Breyaira Monserret, found themselves in the mix of dozens of Harambee Youth Organization members performing a variety of rhythmic African dances to conga drums.

Breyaira and Michelle, both 12 and P. Ross Berry pupils, said a sibling influenced them to join Harambee.

An important facet of Kwanzaa is for blacks to celebrate and be proud of their African heritage, and for them to know where they came from, added Breyaira, a four-year Harambee member.

Seven-year-old Zariya Nored, who’s been with Harambee two years, said she is striving to move up from the junior to the senior level in the organization.

“It’s been great being in Harambee,” the Struthers Elementary School second-grader added.

Before the dancing, those in the audience were given explanations of several symbols and rituals of Kwanzaa, which included libations and a candle-lighting portion.

After the red, black and green African-American flag was honored, each of seven candles was lit as participants recited aloud the seven principles.

One symbol was a libations board, which allows people to write a message honoring lost loved ones and recalling their accomplishments and the example they set, noted Zakiya Miller, a volunteer. Loved ones can include friends, family members, neighbors or historical figures, she noted.

Other pieces of symbolism include fruits and vegetables as well as ears of corn, which represent the children in the family.

The Imani celebration ended with a community feast in which food that people brought was shared by everyone, Miller added.