First Kwanzaa – Day 2

I get that the objective of Kwanzaa is to establish and restore community. Kwanzaa is done as a group.

However, if I’m going to be observing Kwanzaa, then I need to make it personal first.

Kwanzaa needs to be relevant to me before I can make it relevant for my family, my household, and my community. The Nguzo Saba (seven principles of Kwanzaa) need to be personally relevant to me.

Kujichagulia (KOO-jee-cha-GOO-lee-ah). Oh, I love this principle! What do I determine about myself?

  1. I define myself as a woman. Not a “girl”, “gal”, “chick”, “broad”, or “b-word”. Further explanation should not be required.
  2. I name myself Black American, because Black is the skin that I was born with and America is the country that I was born in. “African-American” doesn’t define us as a people anymore, because White citizens of Africa can logically identify as “African-American”, and I need an identity that only people who look like me can use.
  3. I create for myself a place–a space–where my self is celebrated. My woman-ness. My Blackness. My Not-Like-Anyone-Else-Ness.

There is nothing about me that I need to apologize for. I am who and what I have been created to be.

I think that I am going to enjoy this process…

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