Habari gani, everyone? Today is a celebration of imani, or faith. Faith is a tricky concept that brings people uncomfortably close to spirituality. Here it means to believe, with all of our hearts, in our people -- our parents and teachers and leaders, and in the righteousness of our struggle. Even the secular language leans … Continue reading Kwanzaa: Imani / Faith
Tag: kwanzaa
Kwanzaa: Ujamaa / Cooperative Economics
Habari gani, folks? Today's principle is ujamaa -- cooperative economics. I'll admit that my relationship with this principle has become increasingly tenuous. This stage of capitalism requires increasingly direct appeals for money just to survive, and it feels like we've been hoodwinked into cannibalizing our interests to ensure cash keeps flowing toward the rich and … Continue reading Kwanzaa: Ujamaa / Cooperative Economics
Kwanzaa: Ujima / Collective Work and Responsibility
Habari gani, folks? (By the way, this is a "traditional" Kwanzaa greeting meaning "What's the news?" in Swahili!) Today we celebrate Ujima, a Swahili word for "collective work and responsibility." This speaks to the multi-faceted, intersectional nature of our shared struggle. Inequality (and white supremacy) is a hydra that targets groups with different tactics, but … Continue reading Kwanzaa: Ujima / Collective Work and Responsibility
Kwanzaa: Kujichagulia / Self-Determination
Habari gani, everyone? Today's principle is kujichagulia, or self-determination if Swahili isn't your thing. Right after ensuring we're united with our kin in common struggle, the ability to "define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves" is the most essential principle. For most of us living in subcultures, we intrinsically know the … Continue reading Kwanzaa: Kujichagulia / Self-Determination
Kwanzaa: Umoja / Unity
Habari gani, friends? Today is the first day of Kwanzaa, a completely made-up holiday meant to be celebrated by the African diaspora -- but nowadays is mostly the butt of jokes about what a silly and mysterious holiday it is. To be fair, it IS a silly and mysterious holiday! Over the past several years, … Continue reading Kwanzaa: Umoja / Unity
Kwanzaa 2021: Imani (Faith)
I lost my faith in humanity on the night of November 8th, 2016. It was the end of a terrible year of campaigning where Donald Trump had harassed his way to the GOP nomination despite — or perhaps because of, in hindsight — his egregious temperament. I had thought he’d demonstrated his unfitness to be … Continue reading Kwanzaa 2021: Imani (Faith)
Kwanzaa 2021: Kuumba (Creativity)
Facing the challenges of the next 20 years is going to require some ingenious creativity on our part. The government’s response to climate change, pandemics, wealth inequality, crippling debt, institutional racism, and revitalizing urban blight has sent a clear message we should embrace going into 2022: we’re on our own, and it’s up to us … Continue reading Kwanzaa 2021: Kuumba (Creativity)
Kwanzaa 2021: Nia (Purpose)
What is your purpose here? Even if you’ve thought a lot about the question and have an answer locked and loaded, there’s no denying it’s a heavy thing to ponder. What are any of us doing here, really? Why do we exist, and have the faculties to wonder about our existence? There is no objective … Continue reading Kwanzaa 2021: Nia (Purpose)
Kwanzaa 2021: Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)
It is an unfortunate fact of life that we live in a capitalist society. For Black Americans in the United States, this means that one of the fundamental levers of life has been purposefully and aggressively tilted away from us since the days of a promised 40 acres and a mule. Disenfranchisement through discrimination in … Continue reading Kwanzaa 2021: Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)
Kwanzaa 2021: Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)
The Fantastic Mr. Fox opens with the titular hero plucking an apple fresh from the tree beneath a clear golden sky, listening to a song about the King of the Wild Frontier. It ends with Mr. Fox admiring the artificial stars on the genetically-modified apple glinting in the fluorescent light of the supermarket that has … Continue reading Kwanzaa 2021: Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)
From the Desk of Jakebe T. Rabbit 