10,000 gather for Kwanzaa in Chicago

UPI ^ | 12/26/2005

[ncountylee]

CHICAGO, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- The largest annual Kwanzaa celebration of African-American culture in the United States began Monday at Malcolm X College in Chicago.

Ayoka Samuels, a consultant for the college's Kwanzaa committee said a major misconception is that about the seven-day festival is that it's meant to be "the black Christmas," the Chicago Sun-Times said.

Samuels said many who celebrate it do substitute it for Christmas, and if gifts are exchanged, they must be either educational or a symbol of African heritage.

Maulana Ron Karenga, now a professor of black studies at California State University, Long Beach, created Kwanzaa in 1966 as a way to restore a sense of connection with African culture.

Each of the seven nights is devoted to a particular community value: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.

Part of the ceremony is the lighting of seven red, black and green candles, symbolizing sacrificed blood, race and Mother Africa, the Oakland Tribune said.

In Buffalo, N.Y., Denise Renfro said she is proud of the changes in her 10-year-old son since he entered Rites of Passage, an after-school program centered around Kwanzaa principles.

"He brings home good grades, likes school and has never gotten into serious trouble," she said

[F16Fighter]

"And as I keep saying...the more the TRUTH about it is promoted, the quicker the silencing of it."

Amen. the TRUTH.

[little jeremiah]

Slowon the uptake today - what's the FSM?

[Founding Father]

Don't forget gold toofeses and size 54 pants below the crack line.

[Uncle Vlad]

Thank you! This needs to be posted early and often to expose the fraud that is Kwanzaa. What a joke! It has about as much credibility as Festivus--at least Festivus is celebrated tongue-in-cheek.

[SuziQ]

*snort*

[Uncle Vlad]

Do you mind if we dance with your dates? *

(* obligatory "Animal House" reference)

[Uncle Vlad]

Have a Tookie-licious day!

[danmar]

annual Kwanzaa celebration

What the hell, is Kwanzaa, and where is this thing coming from?

[Uncle Vlad]

Does that mean we can be expecting a Festivus card from the White House soon?

Sheesh!

[Inkie]

LMAO.

[JRios1968]

I believe today is "Heinekanza", when you can pick up all those post-Xmas specials...

Of course! I completely forgot about Heinekanza. I should have checked on Gizoogle!

[JRios1968]

Have a Tookie-licious day!

"Fo' shizzle!"

[anton]

Well, Shade 2, that's a real enlightened approach. Good for you.

But, respecting multiculturalism by public recognition isn't my strong suit. Sorry! Good thing I'm not in charge, there wouldn't be any goddamn Kwanza, any more than there would be a public celebration allowed for the founding of the KKK.

[JRios1968]

What the hell, is Kwanzaa, and where is this thing coming from?

You may want to check this great book.

[Founding Father]

You may want to listen to the 12 Days of Kwanza, which is the next to last song on this page from the Corey and Jay show as heard on their Clear Channel radio show:



http://www.coreyandjayshow.com/AudioDownloads.html

http://www.coreyandjayshow.com/media/12%20Days%20Of%20Kwanza.mp3

[Mr. Mojo]

"May 5th marks the triumph of the spirit of freedom for the people of Mexico. The victory of General Ignacio Zaragoza and his Mexican troops over the superior French forces at the Battle of Puebla served as a stirring reminder of the determination to win the fight for Mexico's freedom from foreign intervention." - GWB

lol...oh man, where to begin with that one? First of all, we have our own problems with foreign intervention. .....but alas, the President calls the American patriots who are fighting against this invasion "vigilantes." Secondly, who the hell cares about another nation's holiday (besides nationalists from the other nation in question, of course)? Does he issue statements on Italian, Canadian, Australian, British, Japanese, or German holidays? Nope, his prime focus is Mexico and pandering to those who aim to take back land (in the American Southwest) they believe is rightfully theirs.

When oh WHEN will Dubya issue forth a proclamation celebrating the Neanderthals victory over the Cro-Magnons from the year 21,091 B.C.??

I think the Cro-Mags won that one, bro ;)

[F16Fighter]

"Oh man, where to begin with that one? First of all, we have our own problems with foreign intervention. .....but alas, the President calls the American patriots who are fighting against this invasion "vigilantes."

Secondly, who the hell cares about another nation's holiday (besides nationalists from the other nation in question, of course)? Does he issue statements on Italian, Canadian, Australian, British, Japanese, or German holidays? Nope, his prime focus is Mexico and pandering to those who aim to take back land (in the American Southwest) they believe is rightfully theirs."

Irony to the nth degree -- BULLSEYE.

"I think the Cro-Mags won that one [Cro-Mag/Neanderthal War], bro ;)"

History re-written again?? :-D

[Shade2]

Whose saying that you have to publicly recognize anything? Just live and let live. It's unfortunate that if you were in charge, you would take away American freedoms. Would you ban the flying of the Confederate flag also?

You are going to have Scientologists and other organizations that are practiced by a small number of people. I don't think that I even know a black person who celebrates Kwanzaa. How many do you know? It's not worth making a big deal over, especially since Kwanzaa celebrators are people who have their own social consciousness, whether you agree with it or not, and are typically educated people as opposed to street thugs whose only culture is the culture of the streets.

But of course, we know that the attention given to Kwanzaa from these posters (which probably promotes it) is strengthened because it is associated with the most disdained minority in the country. Any idea, action, opinion, etc. related to black Americans that isn't complete subservience to Conservative/Republican ideals is immediately used as a childish excuse to degrade black people as has been shown in this thread and a thousand others.

[F16Fighter]

"Any idea, action, opinion, etc. related to black Americans that isn't complete subservience to Conservative/Republican ideals is immediately used as a childish excuse to degrade black people as has been shown in this thread and a thousand others."

In this one single solitary sentence you are exposed for what and who you are....FRiend.

Happy Kwanzaa.

[Xenalyte]

Wow, that's only 9,900 more than gathered in Houston!