Kwanzaa’s inclusive ideals offer pathways toward more productive future

As Americans begin the final week of a particularly troubling year, all of us can take some degree of comfort in embracing the principles that define the traditional African-American holiday of Kwanzaa, which begins today and runs through New Year’s Day 2019.

As we continue to struggle to make sense of the horrid massacre of 17 young students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., last February and of 11 Jewish worshipers at Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh last month, as we take stock of the massive destruction and death wrought by Hurricanes Florence and Michael last fall, as we look back on an entire year of political upheaval and divisiveness under the leadership of President Donald Trump, and as we continue to struggle to regroup locally from the bombshell announcement last month of the impending shutdown of the General Motors Lordstown Assembly plant and other signs of economic distress, the ideals of Kwanzaa can prove both instructive and consoling.

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

But unfortunately, today, 52 years after its first observance in California in 1966, the weeklong African American cultural holiday of Kwanzaa remains steeped in misunderstanding and mystery. In some circles, it still struggles to achieve legitimacy, and as such, many miss out on its potential as a viable tool to work through personal and collective challenges and struggles.

MAHONING VALLEY OBSERVANCES

The Mahoning Valley joins the rest of the nation in marking the start of the holiday today at 5:30 p.m. at New Bethel Baptist Church, 1507 Hillman St., with music, dancing, cultural expression, black vendors and a community feast. Observances continue in the city through the week at Beulah Baptist Church, Holy Trinity Missionary Baptist Church and Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church.

Each of those observances provides an opportune time to demystify the festival, debunk myths surrounding it and reinforce its legitimacy as an observance that black Americans – and all Americans – can 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. It is not America’s “black Christmas,” as some have misrepresented it over the years.

Dr. Maulana Karenga, who organized the first Kwanzaa in the United States, 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. Kwanzaa is a celebration of the family, which first forms us, names, nurtures and sustains us, and teaches us upright and uplifting ways to understand and assert our- selves in the world.”

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 ethnicities 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.

It also provides direction for all of us to navigate through some of life’s most troubling times, such as those that Americans have endured over the past 12 months and most likely will confront anew throughout 2019.