During this season let us take time to share the true meaning of Kwanzaa
with family,friends and the community.
May we prosper and grow as we enjoy this Holiday season.
Happy Holidays,
I wish all a very Merry Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Happy new year.
I feel that is important to focus on Kwanzaa and the true meaning of that
celebration (in my opinion).
I don't want to focus on the political
meaning of the different days of Kwanzaa because I feel that it is
much more than that.
My understanding of Kwanzaa from a very early age (which is right
around the time that Ron Karenga coined it) was that the time chosen
was based on the last week of the year.
This was the only week of the year that slaves did not have to work.
This was the only time that they had the ability to socialize among
themselves and find some pleasure in life for an extended period of time.
Think about that.
Many generations of African Americans were borne into and lived
their entire lives in slavery.
It is their sacrifice and commitment to survival that is responsible for our (African American) very existence today.
Therefore in the spirit of their sacrifice, I urge you to spend some time
this season acknowledging their contribution to our survival.
The link below provides some good background reading.
Rod
Holiday Greetings
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/black_voices/black_voices.cfm
Slaves and Christmas Celebration
http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/slavery/a/slave_christmas.htm
Destiny:
The choices we make,
not the chances we take
determine our destiny.