As Kwanzaa turns 50, its ideals gain fresh meaning

The African-American holiday week of Kwanzaa, which begins today, has come a long, long way since its founding in California in 1966.

Born out of the black power struggle of the 1960s, the seven-day observance of seven core principles for honorable living has broadened its impact substantially over the past 50 years.

After a divisive year in which civil unrest, heated rhetoric and racial tensions have dominated the headlines, the founding principles and undergirding philosophies of Kwanzaa have gained added significance.

The cultural celebration begins today and continues through New Year’s Day. In Youngstown, the Rev. Kenneth L. Simon will lead the opening Kwanzaa ceremony at 5:30 p.m. today at New Bethel Baptist Church on Hillman Street. The event will feature music, dancing, African-American vendors and cultural expression featuring the Harambee Youth Organization and the Karamu community feast.

TIMELY LESSONS OF KWANZAA

As Americans enter the final days of a particularly troubling year for race relations, all of us – black and white alike – can take some comfort in embracing the principles that define Kwanzaa.

As we struggle to make sense of a string of officer-involved shooting deaths of young black men from Baton Rouge, La., to Falcon Heights, Minn., as we take stock of the upswing in racially motivated shooting deaths of police officers and as we search for ways to close this nation’s racial divide that widened during the rancorous presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump, we can look to Kwanzaa for guidance.

Many of its seven guiding principles create a framework for individual and collective problem-solving and growth. Among them are unity, faith, collective work and responsibility.

For maximum effectiveness, however, the Kwanzaa holiday must be stripped of much of the mystery and misunderstanding that devalue it. In some circles, after all, it still struggles to gain legitimacy.

As the Mahoning Valley joins the rest of the nation in marking the start of the holiday, this is an opportune time to demystify the festival, debunk myths surrounding it and reinforce its legitimacy as an observance that black Americans – and all Americans – should appreciate.

Coming as it does during the heart of Christianity’s most hallowed season, it is easy for some to perceive Kwanzaa as a religious celebration. Targeted as it is toward black Americans, it is easy for other ethnic groups to simply ignore.

Kwanzaa, however, is neither religious in its foundation nor exclusionary in its message. Dr. Maulana Karenga, who organized the first Kwanzaa in the United States in 1966, clearly states in his Kwanzaa message to the nation the purpose of the holiday:

“In its most essential understanding and expression, Kwanzaa is a celebration of family, community and culture with each providing a context and commitment of common ground, cooperative practice and shared good.”

Of course, the cultural message is aimed primarily at blacks. Kwanzaa, which in Swahili means the celebration of first fruits, accentuates values that reinforce African family, community and cultural values.

Kwanzaa is inclusive

But as Karenga points out, people of other cultures and ethnic backgrounds can and do celebrate Kwanzaa, just as people of all cultures mark Cinco de Mayo, St. Patrick’s Day, Italian-American heritage festivals and other ethnic-specific observances throughout the year.

Indeed, some of the seven guiding principles, or “Nguzo Saba,” of Kwanzaa transcend racial and ethnic boundaries. Those values, one of which is celebrated during each day of Kwanzaa, include Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity) and Imani (faith).

When we shed Kwanzaa of the misconceptions and fallacies surrounding it, what remains are the core ideals that offer black Americans and all Americans guidance to lead productive, fulfilling and honorable lives.

In addition, let us hope that these seven days of Kwanzaa will motivate all participants to carry allegiance to its core principles throughout 2017 as viable tools to tone down racial strife and to tune up multicultural harmony.