Offering frequent news and analysis from the majestic Evergreen State and beyond, The Cascadia Advocate is the Northwest Progressive Institute's unconventional perspective on world, national, and local politics.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Happy Kwanzaa

NPI would like to wish our African-American friends a Happy Kwanzaa.

Kwanzaa, a week-long holiday honoring African culture and traditions, is celebrated between December 26 and January 1 each year. Ron (Maulana) Karenga, an African-American leader, first proposed the observance of Kwanzaa and it was first celebrated between December 1966 and January 1967.The holiday honors the culture and traditions of people of African origin.

Like Chanukah, one of the parts of Kwanzaa is candle lighting. But the holiday also celebrates seven principles (one for each day of Kwanzaa): Unity, Self-Determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity and Faith.

Here is the text of President and Mrs. Obama's Kwanzaa greeting:
Michelle and I send warm wishes to all those celebrating Kwanzaa this holiday season. This is a joyous time of year when African Americans and all Americans come together to celebrate our blessings and the richness of our cultural traditions. This is also a time of reflection and renewal as we come to the end of one year and the beginning of another. The Kwanzaa message tells us that we should recall the lessons of the past even as we seize the promise of tomorrow.

The seven principles of Kwanzaa - Unity, Self Determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith - express the values that have inspired us as individuals and families; communities and country. These same principles have sustained us as a nation during our darkest hours and provided hope for better days to come. Michelle and I know the challenges facing many African American families and families in all communities at this time, but we also know the spirit of perseverance and hope that is ever present in the community. It is in this spirit that our family extends our prayers and best wishes during this season and for the New Year to come.

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