Kwanzaa is a weeklong celebration held in the United States that honors African heritage in African American culture. Kwanzaa is observed from December 26 to January 1 and culminates in gift giving and a big feast.
Kwanzaa has seven core principles, or Nguzo Saba, as follows:
1. Umoja (oo–MO–jah): Unity – To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
2. Kujichagulia (koo–gee–cha–goo–LEE–yah): Self-Determination – To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.
3. Ujima (oo–GEE–mah): Collective Work and Responsibility – To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers’ and sisters’ problems our problems and solve them together.
4. Ujamaa (oo–JAH–mah): Cooperative Economics – To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
5. Nia (nee–YAH): Purpose – To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
6. Kuumba (koo–OOM–bah): Creativity – To always do as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
7. Imani (ee–MAH–nee): Faith – To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.
Learn more about Kwanzaa – HISTORY.
Mike Russell
Faculty – School of Information Systems & Technology, DEI Taskforce Co-Chair
