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ByWill Sutton
Published December 20, 2023
• 10 min read
Kwanzaa has been around for decades. It’s a uniquely African American observance not directly tied to any faith or religion, any specific geography, or any other holiday.
Kwanzaa, which starts on December 26, stands alone.
It has most often been compared to Christmas and Hannukah but Kwanzaa is not an alternative to either holiday, even though it too includes the lighting of candles, cultural history, and education.
Kyle Woodland, 28, has known Kwanzaa all his life. His parents, Laura Boyce and Kelly Woodland, started celebrating in their first home in Yeadon, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia, in the 1990s after his birth.
“We began to celebrate Kwanzaa as a way to feel renewed and refreshed for the new year, and most importantly, to hold up the kinds of principles we wanted to follow year-round,” Boyce says.
They have continued the tradition annually. Collin Woodland, 19, joined the celebration when he was born. The Boyce-Woodland family even celebrated during the COVID-19 pandemic with family and friends via Zoom. It was a wonderful experience. I know. I was online with my wife, Cheryl Franey Sutton.
Who knows Kwanzaa better than its creator, Maulana Karenga?
In a 2017 commentary for the Los Angeles Sentinel, Karenga provided some context: “(A)t Kwanzaa, we lift up these lasting values which light the path to building, celebrating and sustaining family, community and culture and bringing good in the world,” he wrote. “One of the major symbols of Kwanzaa is the Mishumaa Saba, the seven candles, and each one represents one of the principles. In lighting each candle, we thus lift up the principle that represents a light that lasts. Moreover, in lifting up the light of these enduring principles, we are to think deeply about them, discuss them and recommit ourselves to them, making them an essential and vital part of our daily lives.”
Established in 1966, Kwanzaa was created to provide a broad sense of commitment and unity for African American families. Without a focus on a single individual or a single religion, the seven days have African harvest traditions as a base, though it is a uniquely African American activity that has spread beyond the United States to other nations. Some reports say hundreds of thousands of Black people observe Kwanzaa in small and large settings and others put the number in the millions.
I started solo as a Hampton Institute/University college student and grew my involvement during the last 40-plus years. Over the past five decades, I’ve seen Karenga in several places. Chicago. New York City. Philadelphia. Elsewhere.
Each time I’ve seen him, he has spoken as an elder who has seen much, as a college professor imparting knowledge, as a faith-like leader using examples, history and text to make his points. I attended celebrations with him that attracted dozens, scores, or thousands of others. Each time he would walk through the seven principles—to remind those who have observed the special week for a long time and as a primer for those new to Kwanzaa.
Each time, Karenga has accepted that many of those attending a Kwanzaa event were there for a cultural experience at a given moment in time.
And each time he encouraged participants to enjoy the season AND to live the seven Nguzo Saba principles all year, not just during the week of festivities. These principles come in the Swahili language, one of the most widely spoken languages in Africa.
7 principles
1. Umoja, or Unity, encourages us to work to achieve agreement, to focus on our common goals and to come together as families, communities, a nation, and as a race. Like any ethnicity or race, there are a multitude of ideas and philosophies. Umoja encourages us to find ways to come together. We can do that by engaging one-on-one with loved ones, family, friends, neighbors and, on a larger scale, by participating in our democracy to achieve broader goals pooling our voices to influence and support those who want our support.
2. Kujichagulia, or Self-Determination, encourages us to be intentional about who we are and who we want to be. It’s easy to allow others to define us. It’s better when we define ourselves. That’s not something that can be done only on the second day of Kwanzaa, or during the week of Kwanzaa. That’s something we should make a part of our lives daily, especially helping our children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews appreciate what they contribute to our lives as we help them decide who they are.
3. Ujima, or Collective Work and Responsibility, is definitely something that is only achieved by being intentional. It’s one thing to work collectively and take collective responsibility for a day of celebration or a meal, but what does that look like in other months? It can be an organized family calendar with individual responsibilities. It can be individual and family commitments to church, family, and neighborhood activities to develop and maintain relationships upon which we can build.
4. Ujamaa, or Cooperative Economics, is a wonderful example of what we can do when we’re intentional. We all spend. We all choose what we buy. We all choose where to shop. This central principle asks that we think more carefully about where we spend our money. It’s easy to shop at mega-brand stores. It can be quite fulfilling to shop with small business owners and vendors who make a living or a side income with the help of customers who support them. According to some reports, a dollar stays in African American communities for six hours or less. We extend that—by hours, days, or weeks—when we deliberately spend with Black businesses.
5. Nia, or Purpose, challenges us to aim to build up ourselves and each of us with focus. We improve our cultural identity, build stronger communities, and create powerful legacies when we make purpose a part of what we do.
6. Kuumba, or Creativity, is such a powerful motivator—when we are intentional. Some of us can’t help it. Artists, dancers, musicians live their lives with creativity as the foundation. Whether working, volunteering, or lounging around, most are thinking creative thoughts, humming, or tapping out a song or choreographing a set of moves. Imagine what our lives would be like and feel like with more arts.
7. Imani, or Faith, might seem inconsistent with the Kwanzaa, a celebration that is intentionally not tied to any one faith. It’s really not a contradiction, however. Without any specific faith or religious commitment, we can be faithful to ourselves, our communities, and our culture. When we believe in ourselves and others, and when we strive for the best with spiritual energy, we have to be better people living better lives and improving the lives of others daily.
I’ve celebrated Kwanzaa since the 1970s, first alone because Kwanzaa hasn’t been a part of my family upbringing, then with my wife and our son Tre, 29, who has known Kwanzaa his whole life. We’ve spread our deep conviction for the principles with others during the holiday. We’re happy to say that we’ve introduced other families to Kwanzaa, and we love hearing about their celebrations and participating in some.
“We live the principles in many ways, but my husband is living the principle of Ujima (collective work and responsibility) through his work in launching the center for leadership equity,” Boyce says. “It is an initiative that seeks to provide support for Black executive directors of nonprofits who face unique challenges and are carrying out their important work. He also launched a companion member organization of these Black nonprofit executives in the greater Philadelphia area. These folks are living the Ujima principle by supporting each other through challenging circumstances.”
Like the Boyce-Woodland family, it’s not as though our family lives each Kwanzaa principle daily. But those closest to me wouldn’t be surprised to hear me say or use umoja, kujichagulia, or ujamaa in February, May, or August. It’s a way to challenge myself to live the principles during the year—and to challenge and encourage others to do the same.
Will Sutton is a New Orleans-based columnist and editorial writer with The Times-Picayune | The Advocate | NOLA.com. He served as president of the National Association of Black Journalists from 1999 to 2001.
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