Posted on 12/26/2011 10:23:30 PM PST by Nachum
Michelle and I send our warmest wishes to all those celebrating Kwanzaa this holiday season. Today marks the beginning of the week-long celebration honoring African American heritage and culture through the seven principles of Kwanzaa -- unity, self determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.
We celebrate Kwanzaa at a time when many African Americans and all Americans reflect on our many blessings and memories over the past year and our aspirations for the year to come. And even as there is much to be thankful for, we know that there are still too many Americans going through enormous challenges and trying to make ends meet. But we also know that in the spirit of unity, or Umoja, we can overcome those challenges together.
As families across America and around the world light the red, black, and green candles of the Kinara this week, our family sends our well wishes and blessings for a happy and healthy new year.
(Excerpt) Read more at whitehouse.gov ...
Ron Karenga
I particularly like the ear of corn....authentic symbol of Africa.
Quite true.
Note, however, that the SLA stole their seven principles from Kwanzaa, not the other way around. Kwanzaa was started around 1966, and the SLA around 1973. And the seven-headed cobra was stolen from Sri Lanka. At least according to Wikipedia, the SLA:
... considered themselves leaders of the black revolution... DeFreeze was its only black member. His seven-headed SLA cobra symbol was based on the seven principles of Kwanzaa, with each head representing a principle. The Swahili words for these seven principles are: Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity) and Imani (faith). The appearance of the symbol of the seven-headed cobra on SLA propaganda indicates that it was copied from the ancient Sri Lankan / Indian seven-headed nāga;...It doesn't appear that the SLA had a lot of original creativity going on. But perhaps it does make a bizarre sort of sense, that a bunch of Marxist revolutionary thugs would use the ideas from a Marxist criminal pseudo-religion of thugs. You know, I'm not black, but if I were, Kwanzaa would be a huge source of embarrassment. Seriously, c'mon folks.
Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.
George Washington Carver
Karenga has his roots in Black Liberation Theology.
Thanks for reminding us about George W. Islam-is-a-Religion-of-Peace Bush.
7 Principles of Kwanza? A hooked up joke of a fake holiday.
Remind anyone of anything else with “ 7 Pillars”?
I am having trouble with Obama's logic--if only many African Americans reflect, and all Americans reflect, some African Americans must not be Americans.
Yet, if you are African American, you are by definition American, no?
This is a joke, right?
Clever freepers rock.
Did he light all seven candles at once?
Re #13: You left out he was an FBI informer.
My Kwanza message for His Excellency: GFY.
That`s just Kwazy.
Like this mooselimb phoney punk, kwanza is a made up deal.
No, he can’t deal with the “airing of grievances” (or “feats of strength”, for that matter).
May your Kwanza candles set your sorry asses on fire.
GEORGE W. BUSH
Pandering crosses party lines.
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