BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) - At 10 years old, Nadia Jones recognizes the importance of others understanding that the history of African-Americans began many hundreds of years before the Civil War.
“Not everybody knows about the African-American culture,” she said.
Nadia believes that celebrating Kwanzaa every year with her mother, Mechelle Jones, and grandmother, Hattie Whitney, helps everyone understand and appreciate the heritage and journeys of African-Americans.
Nadia was among a crowd of people at the 16th annual Community Kwanzaa celebration at First Christian Church on Tuesday night. This year’s theme was “Come together as one.”
Kwanzaa was created in 1966 and is an African-American and pan-African holiday that celebrates the African-American family, community and culture for the seven days following Christmas. The celebration includes the recognition of the seven Kwanzaa principles of unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.
Tuesday’s celebration included dance, song, prayer, drumming and ended with a feast to share the harvest.
“I think it’s important that we understand each other, our rituals, our norms, our practices,” said Dr. Saundra Starks, chairwoman of the 2016 Kwanzaa planning committee. “That exposure reduces fear of the unknown and of cultural differences. It’s about bringing the community together.
“This is a way of becoming inclusive but also owning and being proud of our African heritage,” she said.
Justin Potter, a U.S. Army veteran who moved to Bowling Green in 2014 to attend Western Kentucky University, spoke at the event about self-determination and the importance of not allowing other people to define how we see ourselves.
Potter spent six years in the Army with a tour in Afghanistan and another in Iraq. He is studying sports management at WKU.
“Events like this are important because it introduces us to not only African-Americans already here but also to immigrants coming from African nations and creates a total American experience and reaffirms our social as well as political values through our spirituality,” Potter said.
Dr. Nubian Sun performed an interpretive dance celebrating the principles of creativity and faith. Her performance was a dance interpretation of the 23rd Psalm.
Sun said Kwanzaa to her means to retrace, recall and remember and is a time to ground herself.
“When we celebrate Kwanzaa in those seven days after Christmas, it helps ground us and helps focus us as we move forward throughout the year,” she said.
For Mechelle Jones, Kwanzaa represents hope for her and for her daughter’s generation and unity for all.
“It’s very important for me, for her, for everyone,” Jones said.
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Information from: Daily News, https://www.bgdailynews.com
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