I Hate Kwanzaa
Kerenga, a political activist and former Black Panther, created Kwanzaa in California in 1966, during his leadership of the black nationalist United Slaves Organization (also known as the "US Organization"). The name Kwanzaa derives from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza", meaning "first fruits". The choice of Swahili reflects its status as a symbol of Pan-Africanism, especially in the 1960's, though most African-Americans have West African ancestry.
For two reasons an additional "a" was added to "Kwanza" so that the word would have seven letters. At the time there were seven children in Karenga's United Slaves Organization, each wanted to represent one of the letters in Kwanzaa[1]. The name was also meant to have a letter for each of the Seven Principles of Blackness. Kwanzaa is also sometimes spelled "kwaanza", which also has seven letters.
It is a celebration that has its roots in the civil rights era of the 1960s, and was established as a means to help African Americans reconnect with their African cultural and historical heritage by uniting in meditation and study around principles that had their basis not only in African traditions, but in common humanist principles.
According to Karenga's 1977 Kwanzaa: Origin, Concepts, Practice, the holiday was developed "to give a Black alternative to the existing holiday and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society." Later, as Kwanzaa gained mainstream adherents, Karenga altered his public view of its justification so as not to alienate practicing Christians, then claiming in the 1997 Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture, "Kwanzaa was not created to give people an alternative to their own religion or religious holiday.
The black community need more leaders like Rev. Jesse Peterson, whose book, Scam: How the Black Leadership Exploits Black America, is very good and on the mark.
| Permalink | 
