African American Holiday Traditions

Fifty years ago a routine traffic stop defined a moment in history for city of Los Angles called the Watts riots. Throughout the week long riot, 34 African American lives were lost and the city was left in scrambles. After the riots, a professor by the name of Dr. Maulana Karenga had a solution to the challenges in the African American community. His solution involved researching African harvest celebrations. Dr. Maulana combined the Zulu and Ashanti harvest celebrations to form the African American Holiday celebration called Kwanza which means the first fruits. He originally formed Kwanza in 1966 to bring all African American communities together for one week and celebrate its culture. Kwanza begins on the day after Christmas which is December 26th and ends New Year’s Day on January 1st.
Dr. Maulana Karenga was born in July 14th, 1941. He was born with the name Ronald McKinley Everett in Parsonsburg, Maryland. He eventually changed his name to Dr. Maulana Karenga to mean Master Teacher. According to a Black Artist Blog Dr. Maulana Karenga gave his reason for creating Kwanza “give Blacks an alternative to the existing holiday and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society”.
There are seven days in the Kwanza celebration, the seven days are Umoja, Kujichagulia, Ujima, Ujamaa, Nia, Kuumba and Imani. Each day has a distinct meaning and a way to bring families …show more content…
Karenga had a vision for helping African Americans realize their greatness. He wanted African Americans to know their history, share their history and most importantly celebrate their history. He witnessed the the pain and devastation caused in the weeklong Watts riots. He saw clearly how to make a difference in the lives of African Americans then and even in the lives of African Americans today. As more African Americans learn about this holiday it may become more relevant this year on its 50th