Origins of Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa, derived from the Swahili term "matunda ya kwanza" (first fruits), originated in the U.S. black nationalist movement of the 1960's. Creator Ron Karenga cultivated the holiday celebration in 1966 to help Black Americans (also referred to colloquially as African Americans) rediscover their African cultural heritage through a seven day celebration of reflection, art, performances and a feast.Karenga wanted to give Black Americans an alternative to what he called 'imitating' the predominately Anglo-Saxon and Christian tradition of Christmas. Karenga originally intended Kwanzaa to serve as a Black-specific holiday, believing that American Christianity, much like American culture of the 1960's, considered Black Americans 2nd class individuals and that Christianity's values did not relate to Black Americans, Black culture or Africans in general. He even went as far as to attack the fundamentals of Christianity in his early writings.http://www.piratepundit.com/karenga6.htmlAs the Civil Rights movement granted equal rights to Black Americans and Kwanzaa gained popularity in American culture, and as the population of Black Christians increased, Karenga backed off of his stance and promoted Kwanzaa as a more open idea that all cultures should celebrate. Karenga's present day stance manifests in this quote, "Kwanzaa was not created to give people an alternative to their own religion or religious holiday. And it is not an alternative to people's religion or faith, but a common ground of African culture."To this day Karenga is the de facto godfather of Kwanzaa. He chairs Organization US, which in part acts as leadership for the Kwanzaa holiday in the US, and runs theOfficial Kwanzaa Website. Most resources on Kwanzaa quote his writing on how Kwanzaa celebrations should be organized and practiced.Kwanzaa's greatest criticism among Americans, let alone African Americans, is that while it aims to act as such, it's not a traditional African holiday since it was created in 1966 by the American Karenga. The counterargument is that Kwanzaa's goal is to help African Americans reconnect with their ancestral heritage and cultural identity through reflection and celebration. Thus whether or not the holiday comes directly from African culture is irrelevant, as long as the end result is a strengthening of knowledge, appreciation of heritage and a strengthening of identity.Kwanzaa originated from motives of dissent and an alienating quest for identity in a Black American culture that at the time still faced oppression in a segregated and racist American society. As those tides of racism waned and segregation fell by the wayside as Black Americans regained their freedom through civil rights, Kwanzaa's role in Black American society and African American culture changed, and with it so did its accessibility and intent in celebration.Today, Kwanzaa is a celebration of identity meant to include, not to unite in isolation. Kwanzaan kinaras (candle holders) sit alongside Christmas trees, something Kwanzaa founder Ron Karenga would have aghastly considered impossible when the holiday began in the 1960's. As the nation has grown, so has African American culture and so has Kwanzaa. And Kwanzaa in turn seeks to make African American culture a stronger part of today's society, rather than a separatist pocket of resistance within a culture that excludes them.
