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Embracing the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa
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To the Editor:
I attended the Pre-Kwanzaa Celebration presented by the Coalition of African-American Churches & Community Organizations of Co-op City and enjoyed it very much. Kwanzaa begins on December 26th and ends on January 1st. It consists of seven principles called the Nguzo Saba, one for each day of the week, and where a candle is lit for each day. Here is the Nguzo Saba/Seven Principles of Kwanzaa:
December 26th: Umoja (Unity). To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.
December 27th: KUJICHAGULIA (Self-determination). To define ourselves, name ourselves and speak for ourselves instead of being defined, named, created for, and spoken for by others.
December 28th: UJIMA (Collective Work and Responsibility). To build and maintain our community together and make our sisters and brothers problems our problems and to solve them together.
December 29th: UJAMAA (Cooperative Economics). To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.
December 30th: NIA (Purpose). To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
December 31st: KUUMBA (Creativity). To do always as much as we can, in the way that we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
January 1st: IMANI (Faith). To believe with all our heart in our struggle, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our people.
Please include these principles as part of your life journey.
—Ellen Boone
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