Mike Wolanin | The Republic A view a Kwanzaa display that is part of the Christmas Memories exhibit at the Bartholomew County Historical Museum in Columbus, Ind., Monday, Nov. 28, 2023.
The Columbus/Bartholomew County Branch of the NAACP has announced that it will host a Kwanzaa celebration open to all from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Dec. 14 at the Bartholomew County Public Library, 536 Fifth St. in Columbus.
The event will include the lighting of the candles that represent the seven principles of this African-American cultural celebration and an explanation of what those candles signify. The program will conclude with light refreshments.
Kwanzaa is an annual celebration of African-American culture observed from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, culminating in a communal feast called Karamu, usually on the sixth day. It was created by activist Maulana Karenga, based on African harvest festival traditions from various parts of West and Southeast Africa.
One purpose of creating Kwanzaa was to introduce and reinforce Nguzo Saba — its seven principles. Those seven communitarian African values are: umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work and responsibility), ujamaa (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity), and imani (faith). Each principle is celebrated for one day between Dec. 26 and Jan. 1.
Most families have a festive communal feast on the sixth day.
The NAACP was founded in 1909 in response to the ongoing violence against Black people around the country. The NAACP is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation.
The local chapter formed Dec. 8, 1968 during a meeting at Second Baptist Church.
Through the years, the chapter has addressed issues ranging from elements of the arts (the cancellation of the presentation of the stage play “To Kill a Mockingbird”) to pressing for the recognition of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday within the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. In the past few years, it has been a leading voice against pockets of white supremacy messages that have sprung up here and throughout the Midwest.
It also had a role in the organization of one of the largest rallies ever held in Columbus, when a crowd estimated at more than 1,000 people gathered in 2020 at City Hall to protest the killing of George Floyd and other unarmed Black people at the hands of police nationwide.
