Kwanzaa creator at MU today
http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/245937
Dec 07, 2009
By ENELLY BETANCOURT, Staff Writer
The creator of Kwanzaa is coming to Millersville University.
Political activist and author Maulana Karenga will be at Millersville
today at 7:30 p.m. to speak about and celebrate the Kwanzaa holiday
observance in the Student Memorial Center.
Karenga is a professor and chair of the Department of Black Studies
at California State University, Long Beach.
The fourteenth child of a Baptist minister, Karenga is
internationally recognized for his many articles and books on
Kwanzaa, including "Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and
Culture" and "Black Studies," the most widely used text in black
studies courses.
Kwanzaa, which means "first fruits of the harvest" in the African
language Kiswahili, is a unique African-American celebration with
focus on the traditional African values of family, community and culture.
The holiday, celebrated from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, is neither political
nor religious, and despite common misconceptions it is not a
substitute for Christmas, according to Rita Smith Wade-El, professor
of psychology at Millersville University.
"This is about reaffirming our people and our culture," Smith Wade-El said.
Karenga created Kwanzaa in 1966 in the midst of movements for civil
rights and black power, hoping to unify Africans in the home
continent with blacks in the rest of the world.
The holiday is based on the Nguzo Saba, or seven principles of
blackness, one for each day of the observance of Kwanzaa: unity,
self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative
economics, purpose, creativity and faith.
"They are amazing and wonderful principles to live by," Smith Wade-El said.
"Kwanzaa is simply a time to examine those seven values or principles
and reflect on how we can put them in practice in our life, with
family and community," she said.
Karenga's presentation is free and open to the public.
The evening will conclude with an African dance by Imani Edutainers
and an African meal prepared by the university's African Students Association.
The event is sponsored by the university's chapter of the NAACP, the
Black Students Association and the African Students Union.
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For more information contact Rita Smith Wade-El at 872-3090.
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