1. Umoja (Unity): Barack Obama

To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.

Although Obama is seen by his supporters as a unifier, one need only look at the exit polls from the Nov. 6 election to see that the nation is hardly united. But there are times when Obama is called upon as president to unify communities and an entire nation, times when politics and partisanship are completely set aside. After the Newtown, Conn., tragedy, it was his duty to travel to the town to console victims, speak to residents and calm a scared nation.

2. Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): Soledad O'Brien and Oprah Winfrey

To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.

On paper, O'Brien and Winfrey don't have much in common except a TV-journalism background. But through their work, both of them embody the spirit of Kujichagulia -- O'Brien, with her CNN series Black in America, through which she takes on the unenviable task of defining the diverse black experience for a mainstream audience; and Winfrey, with her media empire.

3. Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker

To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems, and to solve them together.

Politicians are supposed to make it their personal mission to maintain their community and make their brothers' and sisters' problems their own, but no politician takes it quite as personally as Booker, who, in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy, opened his home to people without electricity and personally responded to his constituents on Twitter.

4. Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): Magic Johnson and Tyler Perry

To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.

Johnson and Perry are both famous black businessmen who have gained their renown as entrepreneurs partly because of their commitment to building their businesses in their community and hiring from within. Johnson builds his movie theaters and other franchises in urban areas, creating jobs and opportunities where there were none. And Perry, in Atlanta, has created the largest and most profitable black film studio in the country.

5. Nia (Purpose): Bill Cosby

To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

The TV and comedy legend often gets a bad rap, particularly from young people, for being a bit of a curmudgeon these days. Cosby's detractors say he's hard on the African-American community for what he perceives to be its many shortcomings. But one might say that's just his Nia talking -- his intense desire to "restore his people to their traditional greatness." When one looks at it that way, his lectures take on new meaning.

6. Kuumba (Creativity): Toni Morrison

To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited.

The Pulitzer Prize winner, who released her 10th novel, Home, and received a Medal of Freedom for her contributions to culture this year, might be one of our most creative living artists. Morrison's art is not visual, but as President Barack Obama said when he gave her the medal in May, "Toni reaches us deeply using a tone that is lyrical, precise, distinct and inclusive. She believes that language 'arcs toward the place where meaning might lie.' The rest of us are happy to be following along for the ride."

7. Imani (Faith): Bishop T.D. Jakes and Iyanla Vanzant

To believe with all our hearts in God, our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

That Jakes -- one of the most famous African-American evangelists in the country -- is the personification of Imani is a no-brainer. His Potter's House in Dallas boasts 30,000 members. Vanzant's Imani credentials are perhaps less overt, but her spiritual journey has long been an inspiration to her fans, making her quite the guru. Just watch her show, Iyanla: Fix My Life.

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