After completely forgetting to talk about Thanksgiving before Thanksgiving, we decided to get ahead of Kwanzaa.
We started with the basics—What is Kwanzaa? Why was it created? What do the seven days represent?—and the room filled up with students sounding out Swahili, sketching notes about Umoja and Kujichagulia, and realizing that this holiday was designed with them in mind: their community, their creativity, their future.
Kwanzaa, at a glance
For families who may be newer to Kwanzaa, here’s the foundation we started with:
Kwanzaa is a week-long cultural celebration observed from December 26 through January 1, created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga. It centers African and African American history, values, and traditions, with a focus on community, reflection, and responsibility.
Each day honors one of the Nguzo Saba—the Seven Principles:
- Umoja (Unity)
- Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)
- Ujima (Collective Work & Responsibility)
- Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)
- Nia (Purpose)
- Kuumba (Creativity)
- Imani (Faith)
These principles are represented using traditional symbols, including the mkeka (woven mat), kinara (candle holder), and candles in red, black, and green, each carrying meaning connected to people, struggle, and hope.
Once students understood why Kwanzaa exists, the rest clicked into place.
Hands-on Kwanzaa
Then we moved into making. Because at Lighthouse, learning becomes real when it’s in our hands. We found this book at the library for inspiration.
Students wove vibrant mkeka mats in red, black, and green. They studied drums from across the African continent and built their own from cups, beads, popsicle sticks, and whatever else they could engineer into something sturdy and expressive.
They explored the kinara, the colors, the candles, and what each one stands for. They flipped through old craft books, asked questions, and made everything their own—modern, messy, imaginative, proud.
Taking time to talk about Kwanzaa with the students over these last few weeks of the semester has been incredible. What started as a simple craft project turned into real conversations—about family, purpose, creativity, responsibility, and the kind of community we want to build together.
It felt like the right way to close out the year: not rushing, not performing, but practicing the values we want our students to carry with them—into the holidays and beyond.