By Keyonna Gellin, Collin Bouressa, Lauren Knisbeck & Valeria Tavarez
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay’s annual Kwanzaa event on December 2nd brought campus and community members together in a lively celebration of culture.
Kwanzaa, established in 1966 by professor and activist Dr. Maulana Karenga, celebrates African heritage and culture. The celebration lasts from December 26th to January 1st, and each day honors a value from the Nguzo Saba or Seven Principles. UW-Green Bay’s Kwanzaa event focused on the value known as Kuumba (creativity).
Seven Principles of Kwanzaa:
- Umoja (Unity)
- Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)
- Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility)
- Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)
- Nia (Purpose)
- Kuumba (Creativity)
- Imani (Faith)
Keynote Speaker
At the annual event, UW-Green Bay’s Vice Chancellor of Advancement, Community, Engagement, and Inclusivity, Dr. Dawn Crimm, was the keynote speaker. Dr. Crimm has been celebrating Kwanzaa her entire life. Today, she reflects on the principles and talks about them but doesn’t celebrate them all. While growing up in Philadelphia, she had always known about the holiday since the founder, Maulana Karenga, was a professor at Temple University.
When talking about community in her role, she said, “This is an institution that is here to ensure that its citizens thrive and that the region thrives, and so the community needs to know that voice. Inclusivity is so important because for the university to thrive and the community to thrive, you need everybody.” With community, Kwanzaa is an event for everyone to attend. “[But], I think it’s important for people to know about it and attend because it’s about community gathering, it’s about celebrating authentically who you are, but it’s focused primarily on the authentic African American voice,” Dr. Crimm says when asked who should attend. “[Again], Kwanzaa for me is about the affirmation of the authentic self, acknowledging my connection to Africa but also providing principles to live in a thriving, healthy, holistic life.”
Attendees’ Opinions on the Event
UW-Green Bay students flocked to the Phoenix Rooms to not only celebrate Kwanzaa and listen to the keynote speaker but also to appreciate the performances. UW-Green Bay student Kenny Nelson attended the event for the first time. His friends have been attending the Kwanzaa event annually and have enjoyed it, so he decided to tag along this year. “I wanted to come out and support our student programming,” he said. Attendees were encouraged to go beyond just showing up. Nelson joined UW-Green Bay alumnus Jada Patterson and many others in learning performer Jamila Carney’s traditional African dance. Both Nelson and Patterson said that the dancing was their favorite part of the night. Nelson said, “I thought it was really cool to be a part of the celebration.” When Patterson attended UW-Green Bay, she was a part of the Black Student Union (BSU) executive board. During that time, she played an integral part in running the Kwanzaa event. She said, “It was very crucial while I was a student to make sure that black culture is celebrated on this campus.” She still holds the same sentiment as an alumnus.
The Main Event: The Creatives
The Kwanzaa event centered around the live performances by siblings Jamila Carney and Ajamou Butler, Milwaukee natives who have been celebrating the holiday their whole lives. Carney taught a traditional African dance and quickly got attendees up and moving. Dancing is a skill she treasures. “My mom said that I was dancing before I was walking, so yes, I’ve been dancing all of my life.” She formally trained in Latin Dance at eight years old and later shifted to African Dance. She also danced a variety of styles in college. Once the attendees learned the steps, Carney led a conga line and got the whole room to enjoy the fun. There are many different modes to experience cultural performances, Carney said. “A live experience has a different level of energy to it, and I’m all about transferring energy, so a live performance is so important for that.” She was pleased to see the attendees participate in the dance and reported it was the most participation she’d witnessed.
UW-Green Bay’s student body is made up of 81 percent white students and only 2 percent Black students, as of 2021 data. Carney emphasized the importance of hosting cultural events to celebrate diversity. “In spaces, especially predominately white institutions, I think it’s really important to create space for individuals of color to celebrate their heritage but also to be able to present their heritages in a way that everybody can experience, everybody can learn.”
Kwanzaa does not have to compete with Christmas. The two take place around the same time, but they are not at odds with each other. It’s even encouraged to celebrate both Kwanzaa and Christmas together. Carney explained, “I’m also a Christian, so a lot of times there’s scrutiny about Christmas and Kwanzaa – can you celebrate them both? And you absolutely can.” When asked what her favorite principle is, she stated, “Kuumba is my favorite because it’s about creativity, and the Great Creative created us, and we were created to create.”
Carney’s brother, Ajamou Butler, is a poet who says the art form saved his life. “I started doing poetry literally ten years ago … and it was like a drug was in my vein, and I just never looked back,” he said. Butler says his journey with poetry became a way for him to find and express his faith. His book, I Don’t Know What to Call This Book: A Poetry Collection, was available at the event. Butler performed two of the poems he had written to his son at different stages of his life. Poetry is not the only creative outlet Butler utilizes. He also performed on the African Drums and had several pairs of volunteers take the stage to learn some techniques. “You can bring any nationality of people on the stage, and it may not sound the most smooth, but if you put their hands on the drum, you can now make a connection, you can now build that bridge,” he said.
Kwanzaa has always held a special place in his heart, and Butler explained that, to him, the holiday is about celebrating family and culture. “[Kwanzaa celebrates] the diaspora of blackness, the richness of blackness, and the wealth of blackness,” Butler explained that faith is his favorite principle of the Kwanzaa holiday. He is happy to have any chance to come to campus. “I dropped out of Green Bay, and it was just a thing, so anytime I can come back on the campus to teach, preach, and love on the community here like that, that’s a real accomplishment for me,” he said.
Though Kwanzaa is a holiday that is celebrated primarily by African Americans and pan-Africans, it is a holiday that any race can celebrate and partake in. When others are celebrating, it is important to remember that a big part of the holiday is creating community among African American and pan-Africans.
“The holiday reflects the best of African thought and practice in its reaffirmation of the dignity of the human person in community and culture, the well-being of family and community, the integrity of the environment and our kinship with it, and the rich resource and meaning of a people’s culture.” – Dr. Maulana Karenga
