kwanzaa week
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Having Faith: Giving Back in the Spirit of Imani, the Seventh Day of Kwanzaa
Having faith in those around us is the backbone of building community. In a year that has kicked Black people down over and over again, it is crucial that on Imani, the seventh day of Kwanzaa, we continue to build faith in the places that build up the community around us. The following places focus…
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Creativity and Craftsmanship: Celebrating Kuumba, the Sixth Night of Kwanzaa
Black-owned businesses breathe creativity. The sixth day of Kwanzaa, Kuumba, represents creativity and is a time for celebrating the radical Blackness that comes from multiple countries and cultures across different platforms. The following Black-owned businesses show their creative instincts in their hand-made and hand-picked products that represent the beauty of Blackness and cultural backgrounds. …
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Finding Purpose Through Literature on Nia, the Fifth Day of Kwanzaa
The best way to educate ourselves is by listening to those around us with shared and different experiences. Each person serves a different purpose in this world, and it is important to pay attention to what they say. The fifth night of Kwanzaa represents Nia, or purpose. In a time when we can’t attend talks…
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Representing Black Businesses on Ujamaa, the Fourth Night of Kwanzaa
The fourth day of Kwanzaa represents Cooperative Economics and how we can come together to support Black businesses under one roof. Black marketplaces have been growing and become a collective space for people to display their work with other businesses and creators. Ujamaa embodies community and collective work while supporting Black businesses. africaboutik africaboutik.us is…
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It's Kwanzaa Time! And ABF Creative Has the Perfect Podcast to Enjoy the Holiday With a New Twist
Christmas might be in the rearview, but Kwanzaa is in full swing—as evidenced by our gift guides and ongoing writeups here at The Root. And as we celebrate our community and culture while abiding by each of the Seven Principles, you might be surprised to learn that there’s a new podcast on deck putting a…
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Collective Work and Responsibility–7 Gifts for Wellness on the Third Night of Kwanzaa
For Ujima, the celebration of the third night of Kwanzaa, we look towards how we can incorporate collective work and responsibility into our lives. It is imperative that we continue to take care of ourselves and others as this year comes to a close and find a way to do it as an individual and…
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The Second Night Of Kwanzaa Brings Us Kujichagulia. Here Are 7 Gifts For Self-Determination
We all know that it takes a whole lot more than a New Year’s resolution to get yourself back in shape after overindulging on seasonal treats and the insanity that was 2020. Good thing the second night of Kwanzaa, Kujichagulia, represents self-determination. In order to nurture this determination, gifting yourself or others one of these…
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Ready for the First Night of Kwanzaa? Here Are 7 Gifts Perfect For Umoja
The first night of Kwanzaa marks the beginning of a celebration of Blackness and the power of coming together. After having spent the majority of 2020 stuck inside with my family, I can safely say that we are all closer than ever. Umoja (unity) is about creating and fostering strength between parents and children, within…
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There Was but One Creative Gawd Who Smote All Others in 2019. Mr. Billy Porter Is Kuumba Personified
If there’s one thing black folk are, it’s creative. Whether through necessity or just burned into our melanin-ness, we make sumptuous meals from scraps, our bodies defy gravity when we dance; and we have reimagined fashion, hair, sport, ways of looking at the world, and even naming our children in our burnished image (even if…
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Resist! Maxine Waters Stayed True to Her Purpose of Impeaching the Orange Menace
On this fifth day of Kwanzaa, we celebrate Nia, which means purpose, and also surges in popularity as a name every time Nia Long releases a film. “Imani” is the only other principle that even comes close, according to research from the Love Jones Institute for Boyz in the Hood. My aunt Kujchagulia Ujima Jenkins…