The City Wide Kwanzaa at Sinclair Community College celebrates family, community and culture coming together to learn more about the past, why it is important and how it can be used to benefit in your future.
Kwanzaa originated in the 1960s during the civil rights movement, according to Boikai Twe chair of the Psychology department and coordinator of the African American studies program.
“It was really seen as a way of trying to restore the African American sense of humanity,” Twe said. “Because if we think about the 1960s the African American was struggling to be seen as a human being, so it was a project to restore their sense of humanity and citizenship in a country that had not fully accepted them.”
The celebration of Kwanzaa begins Dec. 26 and lasts until Jan. 1.
Twe said the idea for City Wide Kwanzaa stemmed from the Pre-Kwanzaa event, which is recognized a month before the actual holiday to help students understand why the holiday is celebrated and how it could benefit them.
Twe said City Wide Kwanzaa on campus started seven years ago as a way to have faculty, staff, students and the community involved during the Kwanzaa holiday season.
Twe said that the purpose of the celebration is to promote intercultural exchange between ethnicities.
“A lot of African Americans and other ethnic groups do not realize the rich cultural heritage that the African Americans have,” Twe said. “This is one way to help them to understand the cultural heritage.”
Twe said that among the things celebrated during the holiday are the seven principals.
Twe said the seven principals include: Umoja, Kujichagulia, Ujima, Ujamma, Nia, Kuumba and Imani which mean unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.
Twe said on Dec. 30 during City Wide Kwanzaa, guest speaker Olori Alase Greer Stanford-Randle will be speaking about Nia (purpose).
“She is the president of the local Association for the Study of African American Life and History,” he said. “On that day, we will be celebrating Nia, so her focus will be on purpose.”
Other activities during the day include African American drumming and dance.
Twe said the principals celebrated during Kwanzaa are an attempt to strengthen family, community and yourself.
Twe said students involved in past celebrations have told him they have better family relationships, know more about their family history and are more involved in the community.
“They also have better self-development,” Twe said. “They have a clearer idea about why they are going to school, and why they need to be involved in the community.”
Twe said during City Wide Kwanzaa, he is able to see how the community and the college are connected.
“Kwanzaa really connects the college to the community and the community to the college in this kind of celebration,” he said.
All faculty, students and staff are welcome to attend the City Wide Kwanzaa that will be held on Dec. 30 in the Basement of Building 8 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in the stage area.
“We want those who have not experienced the celebration of Kwanzaa to come … see how the seven principles that are celebrated could be used in their life,” he said. “Because these are principles that speak to not just African Americans, but all human beings.”
Celebration of City Wide Kwanzaa unites college and community
