Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents a reprint of a 1998 Chicago Tribune newspaper article entitled "Kwanzaa: It's Not About Christmas".
The Addendum to this post also presents my comments about some of that writer's responses to the questions asked in that article.
The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural, historical, and educational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners. Thanks to Akilah Monifa for writing this reprinted article and thanks to the Chicago Tribune newspaper for publishing it offline and online.
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CHICAGO TRIBUNE REPRINT: KWANZAA: IT'S NOT ABOUT CHRISTMAS
From https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1998-12-25-9812250022-story.html
Akilah Monifa, Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services. Akilah Monifa is a freelance writer in Oakland, Calif
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
"Many questions surround Kwanzaa, a holiday celebrating the roots of African-American history. Here are some answers.
10. Kwanzaa. Isn't that the African-American Christmas?
A lot of people assume that Kwanzaa was intended to replace Christmas. But the celebration has nothing to do with Christmas. Its purpose is to promote unity among African-Americans, as well as an understanding of our cultural roots. It was started in 1966 by Dr. Maulena Karenga, professor and chairman of black studies at California State University at Long Beach. The holiday is based on the cultures of Yorubas, Ibos, Ashantis, Zulus and other African tribes.
9. How long is Kwanzaa?
The celebration runs for seven days, from December 26 to January 1, and focuses on one principle each day: unity, self-determination, collective work, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.
8. What religion do you have to be to celebrate Kwanzaa?
Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday. It is celebrated by people of many faiths, as well as those who do not embrace any religion.
7. Why do people celebrate Kwanzaa?
Kwanzaa is sometimes criticized because it is a new holiday and lacks the historic roots of Hanukkah and Christmas, two prominent December holidays. But African-Americans' history in this country is relatively short--particularly our history as a free people. People celebrate Kwanzaa for a variety of reasons: to pay homage to our ancestors, for hope and faith, and for renewal and pride.
6. Doesn't Kwanzaa use a menorah or candelabrum?
A kinara (seven-branched candleholder) is used in Kwanzaa celebrations. Some confuse it with a menorah, which is used in Hanukkah celebrations. "Candelabrum" is a generic name for a branched candlestick. Menorah and kinara are two types of candelabra.
5. What colors are associated with Kwanzaa?
Red, for the blood of our people, not shed in vain; green, representing hope; and black, for the faces of our people.
4. Is celebrating Kwanzaa tantamount to supporting black nationalism or separatism?
None of Kwanzaa's principles calls for nationalism or separatism. This myth probably originated because Karenga, the holiday's founder, was a militant activist in the 1960s.
3. Is Kwanzaa recognized as a state holiday anywhere?
No. But last year the United States Postal Service honored Kwanzaa with a postage stamp.
2. How many people celebrate Kwanzaa?
About 18 million people celebrate Kwanzaa.
And the number-one question folks want answered about Kwanzaa but are afraid to ask:
1. Can white people who are not of African descent participate in a Kwanzaa celebration?
The short answer is yes. American society is becoming increasingly racially and ethnically diverse. But cultural sensitivity is always appropriate. More and more of us have mixed ethnic backgrounds. It is important, though, to remember that a big part of the holiday is creating community among African-Americans.
When invited, I go to cultural and religious celebrations that are not part of my cultural or religious heritage. I participate in a way that is comfortable for my host and for me. It would be arrogant of me, a non-Jew, to dominate a Seder or Hanukkah celebration, for example. People who are not of African descent should approach Kwanzaa with the same attitude.
A proverb often quoted during Kwanzaa reads: "I am because we are; because we are, I am." Harambee! (Let's pull together!)"
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ADDENDUM- MY COMMENTS IN RESPONSE TO CERTAIN ANSWERS FROM THE ARTICLE "KWANZAA: IT'S NOT ABOUT CHRISTMAS" [Revised December 11, 2018]
As background, I was an active member of the cultural nationalist organization CFUN (Committee For Unified Newark) from 1967-1969. During that time That organization considered itself to be a sister group to the Oakland, California based organization "US" which was led by "Maulana" Ron Karenga, the founder of the Kwanzaa holiday. (That said, there were considerable, important differences between those two groups,). CFUN was led by (Imamu) Amiri Baraka (formerly known as Le Roi Jones), and I believe that to a large extent Amiri Baraka can be credited with helping to promote Kwanzaa in the East Coast of the United States and throughout other regions of this country besides the West Coast.
I celebrated Kwanzaa for the first time in 1967 and can attest to the fact that the concept of Kwanzaa and my attitude about Kwanzaa and the attitudes of early celebrants who I knew in that Newark, New Jersey organization are different than what is stated in the Chicago Tribune's 1998 article embedded in this post.
Here's my responses to some of the questions asked above. I agree with the responses to all the other questions:
10. Early on, I believe that Kwanzaa was meant to replace the secular celebration of Christmas for African Americans. That belief was backed up by statements from the leaders of Maulana Ron Karenga's US and Imamu Amiri Baraka's "Committee for Unified Newark."
I also don't agree with the statement Akilah Monifa (the author of that reprinted 1998 Chicago Tribune article that "the celebration has nothing to do with Christmas". Instead, I believe that the Kwanzaa holiday was purposely set to begin on December 26th, immediately after Christmas. Also, while the red, black, and green colors of African American flag (and therefore the colors associated with Black power) were adopted long before the creation of Kwanzaa, the fact that those colors were similar to the red and green Christmas colors enabled the decorations for the secular aspects of Christmas to blend with Kwanzaa decorations.
While Kwanzaa has aspects of African harvest festivals such as the fruits and vegetables that are used for the Kwanzaa display, if Kwanzaa was really meant to be a week long harvest celebration, I believe it would have been scheduled for immediately after Thanksgiving and not immediately after Christmas day.
I remember when members of CFUN were encouraged to give one a present of hand made item each evening of Kwanzaa and then give the largest item (which preferably was also handmade) on the last day of Kwanzaa, when the biggest feast (except perhaps for Kuumba- the day devoted to creativity) occurred. The idea that gifts were to be hand made and not store bought was never adhered to during the two celebrations of Kwanzaa that I experienced in that group. Furthermore, I definitely recall that people wanted their public gift (from their husband or wife or their significant other) to be more expensive than what any other person had or would receive.
With regard to Akilah Monifa's statement that "The [Kwanzaa] holiday is based on the cultures of Yorubas, Ibos, Ashantis, Zulus and other African tribes, I think it behooves us (no pun intended) to detail which parts of Kwanzaa come from these and/or other African ethnic groups, besides the Swahili terms, and the African drumming and dancing, and the harvest fruits and vegetable decorations that were/are part of Kwanzaa decorations. (I consider those decorations to be a nod to African harvest festivals such as Ghana's "Homowo" festival* which members of CFUN didn't learn about during the two years that I was a member in that organization).
*Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/11/ghanaian-harvest-festival-homowo.html for a 2015 pancocojams article entitled Ghanaian Harvest Festival "Homowo" (information & videos).
That said, it's incorrect to consider Kwanzaa "the African American Christmas".
Furthermore, it wouldn't surprise me if most people who celebrate Kwanzaa also celebrate Christmas, like I do.
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6. I don't think that it is accidental that the Kwanzaa kinara is similar to the Jewish menorah. I think that people who celebrate Kwanzaa should acknowledge that Ron Karenga, the founder of Kwanzaa, lifted the candle holder and candle lighting ceremony from Hanukkah and move on from any denial or debate about this subject.
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4. There's a lot to unpack in Akilah Monifa's response to question #4:
With regard to whether "Kwanzaa is tantamount to supporting black nationalism or separatism", I agree that the seven principles of Kwanzaa (the Nguza Saba) don't necessarily call for nationalism, and don't inherently call for separatism -although some celebrants of kwanzaa early on preferred that only Black people attend Kwanzaa gatherings - see my response in #1 below.
I think part of the problem with Akilah Monifa's response to question #4 is that she (and some others) always conflate "nationalism" and "separatism" and she also loosely used labels such as "militant" and "militant activist".
I believe that Kwanzaa initially was created as a secular holiday for Black people to counteract the white images of the religious and the secular celebrations of Christmas. The religious celebration of Christmas featured White images of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph although they were likely not White as depicted by most artists, given the geographical area that they were from. With the exception of one Black wise man, all the other people who were depicted as being present at Jesus' birth were depicted as being White. In addition, most artists depicted/depict angels as White. And the secular depictions of Christmas usually focus on a White Santa Claus and his White elves. Such images can be very detrimental to Black group esteem and Black self-esteem.
That said, I don't believe that Kwanzaa needs to be a holiday just for Black people. Instead, information about Kwanzaa and Kwanzaa songs can (and are being) shared as part of the multicultural heritage of the United States. Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/12/a-hyperlinked-list-of-kwanzaa-songs-on.html for this pancocojams post entitled "A Hyperlinked List Of Kwanzaa Songs On YouTube (as of December 9, 2018)".
Also, I'm not sure whether Ron Karenga, the founder of Kwanzaa, was (and is) a Black nationalist, or a Black cultural nationalist. Maybe he was (and is) both. In the late 1960s, my understanding was that some Black nationalist were separatists and some weren't. Black nationalist who were "separatist" wanted a nation only for Black people. In contrast, Black cultural nationalist (which is how I identified myself and other members of the Newark, New Jersey group CFUN and how I still identify myself), were interested in learning about Black cultures in Africa and elsewhere throughout the world, and adopting (and adapting) some of those arts, beliefs and customs in the geographical space where we lived. Black cultural nationalists were (are) also interested in competent Black governance of Black spaces (including cities and schools) and in supporting Black owned businesses.
Furthermore, being a Black cultural nationalist didn't mean and doesn't mean that a person is a "militant activist". I don't know whether or not Maulana Karenga was a "militant activist".
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/militant defines militant as "engaged in warfare or combat" : FIGHTING and " aggressively active (as in a cause) : COMBATIVE".
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/activist define activist as "one who advocates or practices activism : a person who uses or supports strong actions (such as public protests) in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue.".
-end of quotes-
Using guns and/or other weapons may be considered "strong actions" in opposition to some political or social issue. I'm not sure if Maulana Karenga advocated for the use of weapons or used weapons in his organization, but I know that during the two years that I was a member of the Newark, New Jersey cultural nationalist organization CFUN (from 1967-1969), that organization's leaders and its members never advocated for the use of any weapons or used any weapons.
Also, in the 1960s and 1970s, mainstream America-including some Black people, accused any Black American who wore our hair in an "afro" was accused of being a "militant", so I consider that description as largely meaningless.
And I think that being an "activist", vigorously campaigning for social or political change, can be a good thing- it's all about how that advocacy is done.
Somewhat, off topic, from reading about this online, I'm aware of Maulana Ron Karenga's heinous, abusive actions which resulted in his criminal conviction in 1971 and his subsequent incarceration.* The fact that this conviction and incarceration occurred after he had created the Kwanzaa holiday and began promoting that holiday doesn't detract from Maulana Karenga's despicable actions. However, I believe that the concept and practices of Kwanzaa should be considered separately from the actions of that holiday's creator.
*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maulana_Karenga#Criminal_convictions_and_imprisonment
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2. I'm not sure where Akilah Monifa got her statistic that "About 18 million people celebrate Kwanzaa". Based on my direct experiences. based on viewing YouTube videos such as this 2015 one entitled "Black People Learn About Kwanzaa" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEwxZuShUn4, and reading comments from those videos and various Kwanzaa songs, I think that very few African Americans actually celebrate Kwanzaa, and I wouldn't be surprised if that number has probably decreased since Akilah Monifa wrote that article in 1998.
That said, I think that an increasing number of people (Black and non-Black) have learned and are learning about Kwanzaa, in large part because some schools-particularly elementary schools (kindergarten through 6th grade) teach and sing Kwanzaa songs during Christmas and/or winter holiday school programs and concerts. I believe that including content about Kwanzaa in schools' curriculum has been and is now done to for multicultural purposes. While I applaud the inclusion of Kwanzaa songs (and stories and decorations etc.) in schools, I think that doing so has resulted (and may result) in (further) conflating Kwanzaa with Christmas, at least in the minds of young children. To cite just one example, here's a comment from a boy writing about singing the song "O Kwanzaa" in his school's holiday concert:
Victor Rodriguez. November 2018
"I'm doing this song for chorus at school as well as other Christmas songs" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQGJvJfZ8-M&t=1s "O Kwanzaa"
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1. I agree with Akilah Monifa's answer "Yes" to the question "Can white people who are not of African descent participate in a Kwanzaa celebration?". However, I would also add that there were some Black people in the past and there are some Black people now who disagree with that answer.
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