When I was 12 years old my family celebrated Kwanzaa for the first time. I believe we celebrated the holiday for about 3 or 4 years and we haven't really celebrated Kwanzaa since then. As a child I really enjoyed celebrating the holiday because it always brought my family closer together. Where Christmas was one special day for the family, Kwanzaa was a week long celebration that wasn't related to any religion. Instead, the holiday was special to us because it's a holiday that grew directly out of the African American community. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the celebration:
"Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor of Africana Studies at California State University, Long Beach, author and scholar-activist who stresses the indispensable need to preserve, continually revitalize and promote African American culture.
Finally, it is important to note Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday, not a religious one, thus available to and practiced by Africans of all religious faiths who come together based on the rich, ancient and varied common ground of their Africanness."
-Maulana Karenga
Last year I was motivated to encourage my family to start celebrating Kwanzaa again. My motivation came one night while I was attending graduate school at Temple University and I went to see a film on campus. The film was titled The Black Candle by M.K. Asante Jr. I'd heard some good things about the film from some of my classmates but once I saw the film I felt that it was one of the most important films I'd seen in a while. I'd never seen a film that focused on Kwanzaa.
I plan to celebrate Kwanzaa with my family this year and I encourage anyone reading this to do the same. What's the first step? Well, I suggest you purchase a copy of The Black Candle (http://www.theblackcandle.com/) You can check out the trailer below and an interview with the film maker. Once you've ordered your copy of The Black Candle do as much research about the holiday as you can. It begins on December 26 and ends on January 1 which gives you a few weeks to find info. Here's a good place to start:
Some of you may have celebrated Kwanzaa in the past. We'd like to hear about your Kwanzaa experience. How did you celebrate the holiday? Did you attend a community event celebrating Kwanzaa or did you celebrate with your family from the comfort of your own home? When did you first learn about Kwanzaa? What are some ways in which you're implementing the principles of Kwanzaa?
For those of you haven't celebrated the holiday, what are some of the reasons why you haven't celebrated Kwanzaa? Have you ever heard of the holiday or do you know of anybody who celebrates Kwanzaa? What are some of the misconceptions you think most people have about Kwanzaa? Leave a comment below. We'd like to hear your views and opinions.
The Black Candle Trailer
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