Weeklong Kwanzaa celebration gets under way

By Paul Takahashi

Monday, Dec. 27, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.

About a dozen people, some wearing traditional African dress, marked the beginning of Kwanzaa on Sunday at the West Las Vegas Library.

They gathered for a screening of “The Black Candle,” a film that explores the origins of Kwanzaa and African American heritage.

Kwanzaa is an African American holiday celebrated during the seven days between Dec. 26 and Jan. 1. The pan-African harvest festival is derived from the Ka Swahili word for “first fruits” and was first celebrated in 1966.

Kwanzaa was created not as an alternative to Christmas but as a celebration of African American history, said Keith Brantley, the event’s host.

“The founder, Dr. Maulana Karenga, saw that we didn’t have an African American holiday. Every other culture had a holiday that connected them to home,” Brantley said. “So he though there should be an event that galvanizes the African American community.”

Each day of Kwanzaa celebrates one of its seven principles of unity, self-determination, collective responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. Sunday’s event celebrated umoja, or unity.

“It’s very important for the black community to have a sense of self and good self-esteem,” said Meccasia Tompkins, a 52-year-old north valley resident who brought her daughter and three grandchildren to the screening. “Kwanzaa gives us tradition, that we come from strong roots, that our history goes back farther than American history.”

On Dec. 18, a special right of passage ceremony was held for seven boys and seven girls, the culmination of a yearlong mentoring program for the young people ages 10 to 16.

“I’m hoping that people who don’t know about the celebration will learn more about Kwanzaa and African American history,” said Carolyn Grantham, who attended Sunday’s event. “This holiday holds a lot of meaning for me.”