What does it mean to live the Kwanzaa life?
Kwanzaa was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor of Africana Studies at California State University in 1966 in as a way to bring the African American community together after the the Watts Riots. Though Kwanzaa is traditionally celebrated as a weeklong celebration (December 26-January 1), the principles of Kwanzaa can be lived every day.
The seven principles — or Nguzo Saba in Swahili — of Kwanzaa
Principle 1
Umoja — Unity
To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
principle 2
Kujichagulia — Self-Determination
To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.
principle 3
Ujima — Collective Work and Responsibility
To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems and solve them together.
PRINCIPLE 4
Ujamaa — Cooperative Economics
To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
PRINCIPLE 5
Nia — Purpose
To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
PRINCIPLE 6
Kuumba — Creativity
To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
PRINCIPLE 7
Imani — Faith
To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.