AMPLIFY! 2025 December Newsletter

The holiday season is in full swing! As the year winds down, many families are turning to traditions that celebrate reflection, culture, and community. For African American and Pan-African families, this season is also a special time to reconnect with heritage, honor history, and strengthen bonds with one another through the week-long celebration of Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa began in 1966, created by Dr. Maulana Karenga to celebrate history, values, family, community, and culture throughout African American and Pan African communities. Karenga, professor and chairman of Black Studies at the California State University, Long Beach, created Kwanzaa after the Los Angeles Watts Riot to foster community, pride, and strengthen the connection to African heritage. Kwanzaa’s creation during the Black Freedom Movement highlighted the importance of Civil Rights, while serving as an opportunity to celebrate a holiday rooted in culture instead of consumerism. Kwanzaa is a compilation of multiple harvest celebrations like Ashanti and Zulu, and gets its name from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza,” which means “first fruits” in Swahili. Actually, all ideas and concepts of the holiday are expressed in Swahili since it is the most common language spoken throughout Africa. Celebrated annually from December 26 to January 1, this week-long holiday allows families to celebrate through storytelling, dance, song, and shared traditional meals, in addition to fighting against the disconnection experienced by African Americans.  Kwanza is based on seven core principles known as “Nguzo Saba.”The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa are as follows:

Umoja (Unity). Striving for and maintaining unity in the family, community, nation, and race. Day one of the Kwanzaa celebration traditionally begins with a fast during daylight hours. This is done as a sign of commitment to Nguzoo Saba, in addition to honoring ancestors. 

Kujichagulia (Self-Determination). Defining, naming, creating, and speaking for oneself. Day two celebrated autonomy and pride in identity. Families often enjoy dishes they personally cherish or that reflect their cultural identity. This could include seasoned olives, savory vegetable dishes, or other meaningful recipes chosen to symbolize self-expression and purpose.

Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility). Building and maintaining the community together and solving problems as a group. Many families focus on community building at this time, engaging in or planning community service. 

Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics). Building and maintaining retail stores and other businesses, and profiting from them together. Shared resources, community business support, and economic self-sufficiency are all discussed. 

Nia (Purpose). Making a collective vocation of building and developing the community to restore its people to their traditional greatness. This day encourages participants to plan ways they can help build collective success.

Kuumba (Creativity). Always doing as much as possible to leave the community more beautiful and beneficial than it was inherited. This is the night of the Karamu feast, a large celebratory meal with African diaspora-inspired dishes from many cultures—jollof rice, collard greens, sweet potatoes, fruits, desserts—and often enjoyed with music, poetry, and dancing. Creativity is celebrated on the plate and in the spirit of the gathering.

Imani (Faith). Believing in the people, the leaders, the teachers, and the righteousness and victory of the struggle.  The final day’s meal is often reflective and hopeful—comfort foods, fresh fruit, and favorite recipes that symbolize renewal and trust in the year ahead.

The Kinara 

At the heart of Kwanzaa is the Kinara, a candleholder that holds seven candles (Mishumaa Saba). Each candle represents one of the Nguzo Saba principles. The black candle in the center is lit first, symbolizing Black people; three red candles represent struggle, and three green candles represent hope and the future. One candle is lit each night as families reflect on its meaning, often accompanied by discussion, storytelling, or affirmation. The lighting of the candles is both a ritual and a reminder, each flame building on the last, illuminating a path toward unity, purpose, and collective liberation.

Through ritual, reflection, and celebration, Kwanzaa offers a space to honor ancestral wisdom, recognize collective struggle, and commit to building a future rooted in dignity, responsibility, and hope.

Interested in reading more? Check out the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Kwanzaa Content!

Share Kwanzaa Visuals! Download the AMPLIFY! Kwanzaa Social Graphics Here!