Behind Kwanzaa?s powerful message is an even greater story of how the founder of Kwanzaa, Maryland native Ronald McKinley Everett, known as Dr. Maulana Karenga, overcame his ugly past, including convictions of felony assault and false imprisonment.
Since serving prison time, Karenga has flourished as an activist, author and Black Studies professor at California State University, Long Beach. He?s united millions of blacks around the world, who gather for Kwanzaa, which means “first fruits” in Swahili, a common African language.
Dr. Joanne M. Martin, co-founder and president of The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum, said Karenga?s skeptics who celebrate Kwanzaa separate the festival?s message from its messenger.
Yet for some, Karenga “has gone beyond his past to create the celebration that millions of people embrace in this country and in African countries,” Martin said. “It shows a great deal of commitment to the traditions of help and uplift.”
Karenga modeled Kwanzaa in 1966 after African harvest celebrations, according to the official Kwanzaa website. The seven-day festivity, from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, stresses the Nguzo Saba, or the values of African cultures: Umoja or unity, Kujichagulia or self-determination, Ujima or collective work and responsibility, Ujamaa or cooperative economics, Nia or purpose, Kuumba or creativity, and Imani, or faith.
AREA KWANZAA EVENTS
» Kwanzaa Family Day including African-American dance ensemble Kulu Mele, storyteller and singer Charlotte Blake Alston and acclaimed Nigerian artist Jimoh Buraimoh, Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore; 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday; Free; 443-573-1832.
» Kwanzaaa Celebration ? Ujamaa, including films, art activities and educational sessions, Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., today; $5 for adults; $1 for 16 and under; 443-263-1800.
» Kwanzaa Celebration with unveiling of the North Star Exhibit, Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum, 300 Oella Ave., Baltimore; 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., today; Free; 410-887-1081.
» Kwanzaa Celebration ? Nia, Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore; Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday; $5 for adults; $1 for 16 and under; 443-263-1800.
