African American culture carries a wealth of memory, artistry and tradition—roots that run deep and wide. Across the vastness of the African diaspora, it holds fast to the idea of family, turning strangers into kin and neighbors into brothers and sisters bound by the shared rhythm of challenge, triumph and joy.
People of African descent are one people with many varied parts, continuing to embark on a journey to strengthen our togetherness, which isn’t separated by religion, creed, gender, political agenda or educational achievement.
Dr. Maulanga Karenga established a means for people of African descent to reconnect to their African heritage and cultural traditions. Rooted in the Black nationalist movement of the 1960s, Kwanzaa, which begins each year on December 26, became rooted in the seven principles of African heritage, known as the Nguzo Saba, which, according to Karenga, comprises a communitarian African philosophy, or the best of African thought and practice.
Although Kwanzaa is not a formalized holiday, it was instituted to reaffirm the human agency and cultural dignity of people of African descent. This agency was disrupted during enslavement as persons who owned enslaved Africans influenced a displacement of practices that were intrinsically African. In its stead, Christianity was often misused to justify the institution of enslavement.
Therefore, during the birth and annual observance of Kwanzaa, people of African descent who do not observe the Christian Christmas holiday, rooted in Christian belief, were able to reassert their own African spiritual practices.
In 1977, Karenga wrote in his book Kwanzaa: Origin, Concepts, Practice: “Kwanzaa is not an imitation, but an alternative, in fact, an oppositional alternative to the spookism, mysticism and non-earth-based practices which plague us as a people and encourage our withdrawal from social life rather than our bold confrontation with it.”
However, as Kwanzaa gained notoriety among Christians of African descent, its stance as an alternative to Christmas changed.
As people of African descent, this pursuit created a new way for Black America to embrace a system that did not oppress but instead nurtured community and uplifted Black culture. It restored value that had long been displaced and affirmed cultural relevance and quality of life for people across the African diaspora. Beginning on December 26, Kwanzaa extends the holiday season with its spirit of feasting, reflection, and gift‑giving. Yet as the candles of the kinara are lit each day, we must ask ourselves: do we, as Americans, truly make space for Kwanzaa to hold a meaningful place in our national conversation and celebration of the “holiday” season?
The American education system, an incubator for much of what America teaches, is in part responsible for the lack of promotion of an honorable celebration. In light of this country’s foundational precepts, one might assume that America is not particularly interested in Kwanzaa, as it is too culturally forward.
This is not to suggest that there should be limitations on the discussion of Christmas, for the truer and often blurred Christmas message is not about elves, a traveling sleigh, or retail sales. This is to state that we, in America, can begin to be more reflective about whether we’ve become so wired by the celebration of a holiday that we miss observances—such as Kwanzaa—which demonstrate cultural richness and relevance that America struggles to promote overall.
The overarching question is, when will we, the American family, get past the preliminaries that acknowledge that we are a culturally manifold country, and reach an adoption of knowledge and action that promotes cultural competence, especially during times like these, where thick cultural history, thought, and practice are abundant and easily recognizable? Cultural competence begins with discussing what appears to be invisible and making it visible.
Acknowledging and educating ourselves about Kwanzaa—on a greater scale—is another step we can take.
Jovan A. Brown is an elementary educator and cultural competence facilitator based in Philadelphia. She is the mother of one and editor of Bloom Again and several other children’s enrichment books.