|
|
THE OFFICIAL WEB SITE OF THE MADISON TIMES WEEKLY NEWSPAPER |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
OPINION |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Blackonomics / James Clingman Kwanzaa - What do you have to celebrate?
Our obvious support and celebration of Kwanzaa suggests our commitment, not only to the Nguzo Saba, but also to their fruition. Thus we ask you: What Kwanzaa success will you celebrate this year? What have you done during the year that qualifies as a celebratory event during Kwanzaa? Have you achieved Unity among the people in your locale? Are you unified to the point that you love one another more and support one another more? Do you have proof that you have unified around some pertinent issue or cause? If so, then let the celebration begin. How about Self-Determination? That’s one of my favorites. What have you done in your city to demonstrate your commitment to determining the future of your children? Are others still controlling your destiny? Or have you taken it upon yourself to build and support your own institutions, open and grow new business, and create your own jobs? Maybe you have done other things to determine your future. If you have, congratulations! A few years ago I worked on an event in Cincinnati called Ujima-Cincibration, which some of you probably attended. The intent of the affair, conducted each year, was to celebrate what we had accomplished during the year vis-à-vis our collective work and our responsibility toward one another. The event survived for four years and failed primarily because the premise upon which it was founded was ignored by those who subsequently managed it. If we work collectively on community projects such as neighborhood cleanup, elderly assistance, and tutoring, imagine the things we could celebrate every Dec. 28 for Ujima. Now, here’s my favorite: Cooperative Economics. Have you done anything cooperatively in 2003 to increase the economic viability and stability of your community? Have you pooled any of your money to finance a project or to form an investment group to assist microbusinesses? Enough said on that one. What have you done to build and develop your community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness? In other words, what is your purpose, and have you actualized that purpose? If you have, then you definitely have something to celebrate. Created anything lately? What has been the level of your creativity this past year? Is there anything, not necessarily something material, that you developed in your community? Maybe it was a new financial institution, or maybe it was a new resolve and commitment to do better than you did the previous year. Creativity covers a multitude of endeavors. What did you create? Finally, how much faith do you have in the things you are celebrating? How much faith do you have in yourself? How much faith do you have in the Creator’s ability to carry you through in times of struggle? Are you one of “little faith,” or is your faith sufficient to support you in your quest to fulfill the other six principles of Kwanzaa? On Dec. 26 of every year, after 40 years of celebrating, we should be able to look back and revel in the things we have accomplished through our celebration of Kwanzaa. What will you see when you look back this year? If Kwanzaa for you is a mere celebration, then you have work to do, so that this time next year you will have some tangible accomplishment to celebrate. Aren’t you tired of mere spoken words? Aren’t you just a little weary of the empty rhetoric of events based on words followed by little or no action? Wouldn’t you like to see us, after 40 years of celebrating Kwanzaa, be able to point to something we built and sustained because of our celebration of values we hold so dear? I know you would. Here in Cincinnati we have the Sankofa Educational Development Program, which is headed by Sister Kimya Moyo. Each year they celebrate the principles of Kwanzaa by recognizing seven individuals who best represent each Kwanzaa principle. In 2004, at the organization’s annual event, Kenya James, Black Enterprise Magazine’s Teenpreneur of the Year, will be the keynote speaker. They also “look back” every New Year’s Eve at what they accomplished in relationship to Kwanzaa, and they look forward and plan activities for the coming year. Get started now on what you will celebrate during the 2004 Kwanzaa period. And then let’s celebrate! James E. Clingman, an adjunct professor in the University of Cincinnati’s African American Studies Department, is former editor of the Cincinnati Herald Newspaper and founder of the Greater Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce. He hosts the radio program ''Blackonomics'' and is the author of the book “Economic Empowerment or Economic Enslavement — We Have a Choice.” He can be reached at 513-489-4132 or by e-mail at jclingman@blackonomics.com
END OF OPINION SECTION |
|
|
|
|
For
nearly 40 years, Black people in the United States have celebrated
the seven principles, the Nguzo Saba, of Kwanzaa. Established
by Maulana Karenga in 1966, Kwanzaa is an African American and
Pan-African holiday celebrated by millions throughout the world
African community. Kwanzaa brings a cultural message that
speaks to the best of what it means to be African and human
in the fullest sense.