Posted on 12/18/2006 9:27:18 AM PST by DogByte6RER
Kids celebrate Kwanzaa
Holiday: School lessons culminate in festivities honoring heritage of African-Americans.
By Araceli Esparza, Staff writer
Long Beach Press Telegram
Article Launched:12/17/2006 08:31:08 PM PST
NORWALK - Alasdair Jackson, a fourth-grader at Morrison Elementary School, said he's gaining valuable lessons about life and mankind.
"I'm learning about other people's cultures. And the more I learn about other people's cultures, the more I learn about people," the 9-year-old said.
As a student in Diahann Greenidge's class, Jackson and his classmates are exploring a new aspect to their traditional holiday season. They're learning about Kwanzaa, the week-long secular holiday that honors African-American heritage.
Greenidge's students put their lessons onstage last week, when they performed dances, songs and poetry readings that celebrate African-American contributors to the United States. Friends, family members and school officials filled the Morrison Elementary cafeteria for the special show.
Friday's performance, which also included a traditional candle- lighting ceremony, was the culmination of months of historical and cultural lessons Greenidge has brought to her students every year since 1999.
"This is just a chance to share another culture that a lot of people aren't familiar with," said Greenidge, who is of Jamaican descent.
Kwanzaa, created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, is annually celebrated Dec. 26 to New Year's Day. Each day is dedicated to one of seven principles, including unity, self-determination, responsibility, purpose and faith. Karenga is a professor of Black Studies at Cal State Long Beach.
Greenidge said the holiday brings friends and family together. And in the classroom, it has also empowered her young students.
"Seeing my shy kids, or the really reserved ones, shine on stage has been great," the educator said. "Seeing these kids excel through music and movement, they're excited to come to school.
"School's not one-dimensional anymore."
Morrison Elementary Principal Marsha Guerrero said Greenidge has been the catalyst for Kwanzaa celebrations at her school. She coordinates the entire holiday program - making costumes, teaching songs, and developing the choreography mostly on her own.
"We're doing this to share it with people and tell everyone because maybe they don't know about it," said 10-year-old Emerson Duckworth.
Greenidge hopes her students will apply their lessons on Kwanzaa to their lessons on life.
"I think they'll have a sensitivity to a culture that's not their own - to have a respect for it," she said. "If it does that, then it does a lot."
Araceli Esparza can be reached at araceli.esparza@sgvn.com or (562) 698-0955, ext. 3024.
In 1971 Ron (sic Maulana) Karenga, Louis Smith, and Luz Maria Tamayo were convicted of felony assault and false imprisonment for assaulting and torturing two women from the United Slaves, Deborah Jones & Gail Davis. A May 14, 1971 article in the Los Angeles Times described the testimony of one of the women: "Deborah Jones, who once was given the Swahili title of an African queen, said she and Gail Davis were whipped with an electrical cord and beaten with a karate baton after being ordered to remove their clothes. She testified that a hot soldering iron was placed in Ms. Davis's mouth and placed against Ms. Davis's face and that one of her own big toes was tightened in a vise. Karenga, head of US, also put detergent and running hoses in their mouths, she said." They also were hit on the heads with toasters.
At Karenga's trial, the question arose as to Karenga's sanity. It is theorized that Karenga may have had a mental breakdown due to the stress of dealing with the violence and murders surrounding his United Slaves (US) organization and the Black Panther Party (BPP). His behavior became bizarre. And, at his trial, a psychiatrist's report stated the following: "This man now represents a picture that can be considered both paranoid and schizophrenic with hallucinations and illusions, inappropriate affect, disorganization, and impaired contact with the environment."
And no doubt he's a damned good one, too.
Etymological oxymoron.
Great. Teach kids about a holiday whose only purpose is to separate Blacks from Christianity. Is Kwanzaa really even part of black culture? Does anyone really recognize it besides guilt-ridden white school officials?
Commie morons, want your children..
Here's another link for an excellent article about the backgrounds of Kwanzaa and convicted felon and Marxist professor Ron Karenga:
"Happy Kwanzaa"
By Paul Mulshine
FrontPageMagazine.com | December 26, 2002
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=5251
Is there an emotican for the rolling of one's eyes?
Well, they had the rights because Jesus was really black, you know.
(yes, intentionally nonsensical on many levels)
I have no problem with those who wish not to identify with Chistianity. Jews, Muslims, Hindus, et al have their celebrations of various days in their faiths. If secular Blacks want a holiday to celebrate a common unity, let them. I celebrate the birth of Christ.
secular holiday
Etymological oxymoron.
____________
No. You commented prior to thinking it through.
Labor Day -> secular holiday
New Years Day -> secular holiday
President's Day -> secular holiday
Do you need more examples?
Is he the Real Kwanzaa Kwaus? His coat is sooooo pimp.
Furthermore, I would love for them to go to Africa, and tell the natives "Happy Kwanzaa" and see what reaction they'd get.
LOL. And so did I. - comment before thinking it through - must be a pandemic :)
"They're learning about Kwanzaa, the week-long secular holiday that honors African-American heritage."
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Notice the reference to "secular." The media fights the battles for the Liberals.
HAPPY KWANZAA!
They all are really. "Holiday" comes from "Holy Day". Particularly applicable to Kwanzaa whose premise is bogus.
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