Happy Kwanzaa
Noted, without comment. From The Hill:
President Obama and the first lady sent out Kwanzaa greetings Sunday, the first day of the seven-day celebration.
"Michelle and I extend our warmest thoughts and wishes to all those who are celebrating Kwanzaa this holiday season," Obama said in a statement. "Today is the first of a joyful seven-day celebration of African-American culture and heritage. The seven principles of Kwanzaa — Unity, Self-Determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity and Faith — are some of the very values that make us Americans."
The Kwanzaa holiday began in the U.S. in 1966. The week culminates with a feast and gift-giving.
"As families across America and around the world light the Kinara today in the spirit of umoja, or unity, our family sends our well wishes and blessings for a happy and healthy new year," Obama said.
Personally, if we're talking made up holidays, I prefer Festivus:
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Re: Happy Kwanzaa
Does Kwanza have a day of rape and torture in honor of its founder?
If you are into inclusion, then Kwanzaa isn't your thing. I can celebrate, but I can't be a formal celebrant becuase I'm not black.
My hometown of Asbury Park has for a stretch of years eliminated the word "Christmas" from all December functions and celebrations, even when they are putting lights and stars on that tree in the center of Downtown (not sure exactly what to call that tree they put up in December with all the twinkling lights, stars and shining balls).
Yet, they have a paid "Kwanzaa coordinator" on the payroll in City Hall, complete with her own taxpayer funded office and letterhead.
Edited on Dec 28, 2011 at 11:06amRe: Happy Kwanzaa
In addition to being completely made up, Kwanzaa is also downright offensive. From the Wikipedia entry on Kwanzaa:
(Convicted felon Maulana Karenga was a major figure in the Black Power movement who made up Kwanzaa)
Dec '10
Re: Happy Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is a total flippin' joke. The obligatory recognition of it by the MSM every year is annoying to say the least. Do you think that just ONCE they'd ACTUALLY do their homework and explore its begining?
Aug '10
Re: Happy Kwanzaa
Diane Ellis, Ed.: In addition to being completely made up, Kwanzaa is also downright offensive. From the Wikipedia entry on Kwanzaa:
(Convicted felon Maulana Karenga was a major figure in the Black Power movement who made up Kwanzaa) · Dec 28 at 10:10am
Thanks for reminding people about Ron ( Dr.Maulana Karenga) Everett. His priors from the LA Times: "...whipped with an electrical cord and beaten with a karate baton after being ordered to remove their clothes. She testified that a hot soldering iron was placed in Miss Davis' mouth and placed against Miss Davis' face and that one of her own big toes was tightened in a vise. Karenga, head of US, also put detergent and running hoses in their mouths, she said."
from Front Page
Happy Kwanzaa indeed.
Edited on Dec 28, 2011 at 10:58amJun '10
Re: Happy Kwanzaa
Ah, the great memories of have of Festivus. The family gathered around the table for the "airing of grievances," after which we moved to the backyard for the "personal combat." I've always felt a bit bad about hitting Uncle Ed with the shovel, but the old [blankety-blank] deserved it.
Apr '11
Re: Happy Kwanzaa
The very first year I was working in Sudan I got leave to come home for Christmas. I was routed via Kenya and so stopped in a bookstore in Nairobi to get something to read on the long flight from Jomo Kenyatta Int'l to Miami via London Heathrow. I bought a couple of books and as I was leaving the shop I wished the clerk manning the cash register "Happy Kwanzaa," hoping to appear an old and seasoned Africa Hand. He gave me a perplexed look and replied, "What's Kwanzaa?"
"You know," I said, "Kwanzaa. The African feast of the harvest. Umoja, Ujima..you know, Kwanzaa."
"Never heard of it," said the clerk.
"Well, what do you folks celebrate at Christmas time?" I asked.
"We celebrate Christmas." was the Kenyan's response.
Later I learned that Kwanzaa was a made-up holiday originating in Detroit. The 7 Principles of Kwanzaa are taken from Kiswahili, a language unknown in West Africa where slaves bound for the New World originated, it being the patois used by Arab slavers plying the eastern shores of Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania on the Indian Ocean. Kind of ironic, eh?
Jul '10
Re: Happy Kwanzaa
The Hempstead Town Hall has a holiday display in the lobby every year in December, and in one of the years that Ramadhan coincided with the holiday season, a framed verse from the Quran written in calligraphy (reading "In the name of God") was included with a Christmas tree, a menorah and a set of Kwanzaa lights (not sure what they are called).
My mother (who provided the Arabic calligraphy and grew up in East Africa) asked what Kwanzaa was. An African-American elected official explained that it was an African holiday. My mother responded that in all her years in Africa, she had never heard of Kwanzaa. The elected official's response was something to the tune of "If you don't accept Kwanzaa, you're a racist." So my mother, born in Uganda, raised in Kenya, proficient in Swahili, is a racist because she had the audacity to call out Kwanzaa for what it is: a fabricated holiday.
Jun '10
Re: Happy Kwanzaa
This is in the running for great line of the year.
Re: Happy Kwanzaa
Tommy De Seno: Does Kwanza have a day of rape and torture in honor of its founder?
If you are into inclusion, then Kwanzaa isn't your thing. I can celebrate, but I can't be a formal celebrant becuase I'm not black.
My hometown of Asbury Park has for a stretch of years eliminated the word "Christmas" from all December functions and celebrations, even when they are putting lights and stars on that tree in the center of Downtown (not sure exactly what to call that tree they put up in December with all the twinkling lights, stars and shining balls).
Yet, they have a paid "Kwanzaa coordinator" on the payroll in City Hall, complete with her own taxpayer funded office and letterhead. · Dec 28 at 10:10am
Edited on Dec 28 at 11:06 am
Arrrrggggghhhhh! This is just so irritating.
Re: Happy Kwanzaa
tabula rasa
This is in the running for great line of the year. · Dec 28 at 11:22am
Contained in that sentence, Humza, is everything that's wrong about liberalism.
Aug '10
Re: Happy Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa to me has always smacked of "separate but equal" and (self-imposed) segregation. For those reasons, and because of the content of the founder's character, I find it deeply objectionable.
Aug '10
Re: Happy Kwanzaa
I went to a Festivus party once, but the hosts really wussed out..
Instead on an aluminum pole, the was a cardboard tube wrapped in tinfoil.
Instead of feats of strength, there was Trivial Pursuit.
There was no airing of grievances.
Seriously, this War On Festivus has got to stop!
Aug '10
Re: Happy Kwanzaa
Rob Long
tabula rasa
This is in the running for great line of the year. · Dec 28 at 11:22am
Contained in that sentence, Humza, is everything that's wrong about liberalism. · Dec 28 at 11:48am
The liberals rewrite history on a daily basis. Customs and traditions take a bit longer.
Aug '10
Re: Happy Kwanzaa
flownover
Thanks for reminding people about Ron ( Dr.Maulana Karenga) Everett. His priors from the LA Times: "...whipped with an electrical cord and beaten with a karate baton after being ordered to remove their clothes. She testified that a hot soldering iron was placed in Miss Davis' mouth and placed against Miss Davis' face and that one of her own big toes was tightened in a vise. Karenga, head of US, also put detergent and running hoses in their mouths, she said."
from Front Page
Happy Kwanzaa indeed. · Dec 28 at 10:56am
Edited on Dec 28 at 10:58 am
So Ron Karenga was a paranoiac, a torturer, and a communist. But I repeat myself.
Edited on Dec 28, 2011 at 12:09pmSep '10
Re: Happy Kwanzaa
The thing that is so annoying about it is that the vast majority of black people do not celebrate it. A couple of years ago i saw a local LA news report about some Kwanzaa event that was attended by "dozens" of people. But somehow through the power of white liberal guilt it is mentioned every year. I just looked up at my Christian calendar, with a Bible verse for each month, and sure enough, Dec. 26; "Kwanzaa begins". I didn't know what Mr. Everett/Karenga said about Jesus above. No surprise though. Now i am thnking i will contact that calender company and provide them with reasons they should remove it.
It should be no surprise that Obama would give a Kwanzaa greeting, though i would not be too surprised if Bush did too. I love the irony that "self-determination" is one of the supposed principles of Kwanzaa included among those Obama claims "make us Americans." The same man who a couple months back was warning us against the coming self-reliance.
Kwanzaa is to black holidays what Nation of Islam is to black religion.
Aug '10
Re: Happy Kwanzaa
The funniest thing about Kwanzaa is that bureaucracies feel obligated to acknowledge it but very few people celebrate it. Wikipedia gives several estimates, most of them ridiculous, but the only one based on a scientific poll and conducted by a disinterested party puts it at 1.6% of the US population. About 12.6% of Americans are black, which means that about 85% of black Americans ignore this made up nonsense.
On the other hand there is a holiday in December that is a very important tradition in African American culture. It's called Christmas.
Sep '10
Re: Happy Kwanzaa
While sharing in the revulsion of every post above I'd also like to point out the two phrases, "collective work and responsibility" and "cooperative economics". Is there something wrong with solitary work? One must assume they loved the word collective so much they needed to find a place for it and what economics is not cooperative? No doubt the authors intent was really something more like, "the collective must work and cooperatate with us or else bear the responsibility for their actions...usually in reeducation camps." I think I'll celebrate with Walter Williams and Thomas Sowell and leave the hoodlums in Detroit.
May '10
Re: Happy Kwanzaa
flownover
Rob Long
tabula rasa
This is in the running for great line of the year. · Dec 28 at 11:22am
Contained in that sentence, Humza, is everything that's wrong about liberalism. · Dec 28 at 11:48am
The liberals rewrite history on a daily basis. Customs and traditions take a bit longer. · Dec 28 at 12:04pm
I have many happy memories of singing Kwanzaa Carols around the Kwanzaa Tree in my youth. No wait...That was Kwismas Karols. Sorry.
Aug '10
Re: Happy Kwanzaa
outstripp
Kwismas Karols. Sorry. · Dec 28 at 6:09pm
kwite a laugh there mate !
Mar '11
Re: Happy Kwanzaa
Saturday Night Live did some spectacular send-ups of Kwanzaa several years back. The two I remember are Vanessa Williams singing a Kwanzaa song, and Tim Meadows guilting all of his white co-workers into giving him expensive Kwanzaa gifts.