WHAT IS KWANZAA AND WHY CRAZYTOWN SHOULD CELEBRATE IT

As the holiday season approaches, so does the mystery of Kwanzaa. Created in 1966 by a well-respected figure in the black community named Ron Karenga, the non-denominational holiday is meant to unite blacks around the world and reconnect them with their African heritage.

A different principle is dedicated to each of the 7 days of Kwanzaa.

· Umoja (Unity) To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.

· Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.

· Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems and to solve them together.

· Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.

· Nia (Purpose) To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

· Kuumba (Creativity) To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

Imani (Faith) To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

Race is not a fiery subject in CRAZYTOWN, but I propose that the above principles are fundamental to a utopia therefore making Kwanzaa a desirable holiday to be celebrated in CRAZYTOWN. For example,

· Unity in the CRAZYTOWN community puts naysayers and Debbie Downers in their place when they try to tell us we cannot exist

· Self-Determination allows us the freedom to define who we are and what we do, while the rest of the world has it decided for them

· Collective Responsibility makes other’s problems ours, in turn, we will not cause others problems

· Cooperative Economics is the basis of CRAZYTOWN finance, since goods and services are rendered for other goods and services and the good faith of others

· Purpose in CRAZYTOWN allows people to reach their full potential in whatever dream they choose to realize

· Creativity is the mother of CRAZYTOWN, and everyone is an inventor

· Faith in CRAZYTOWN, and it’s societal influences

With these tenets, CRAZYTOWN will thrive.