Newspaper Page Text
Perspectives
Kwanzaa promises
to be culturally rich
for many this year
By Warren Woodberry, Jr.
Special to The Panther
It’s not going to be such a
White Christmas after all.
For some families, the chance
to shop endlessly in malls won’t
be happening this year. Basking
in the tradition of receiving gifts
won’t be on the minds of some
children. And many people will
not be interested in taking part in
the yuletide joy during the
holiday season.
During this low rung of social
strata, over 13 million Americans
will pay tribute to the rich cultural
roots of African Americans, by
observing the holiday of
Kwanzaa from Dec. 26 through
Jan. 1.
For those who have considered
a change in tradition, here’s a
little background information on
what many call the Black
Christmas.
Kwanzaa, which means the
“first fruits of the harvest” in
Swahili, was founded in 1966 by
Dr. Maulana “Ron” Karenga, a
leading theorist of the Black
Movement. Karenga, currently a
chairman of Black studies at
California State University in
Long Beach, chose many
elements of the African harvest
festivals to create a unique
celebration of the motherland and
its people.
Kwanzaa is unique because it
is not a religious, political or
heroic holiday. It is based on
seven fundamental principles
that are referred to as the Nguzo
Saba.
Kwanzaa’s observed for the
following;
Umoja — Unity
Kujichagulia— Self-
determination
Ujima — Collective work
and responsibility
Ujamaa — Cooperative
economics
Nia — Purpose
Kuumba — Creativity
Imani — Faith
Karenga recognized the undue
hardship for Black people and
others over the
commercialization of Christmas.
It is not meant to be a substitute
for Christmas, but rather an
option for those who may find
Kwanzaa more meaningful.
Kwanzaa may be most
symbolically known for
Mishumaa Saba, the lighting of
the seven candles - one for each
day of the harvest. This is one of
the seven symbols affiliated with
the harvest.
The seven candles, one black,
three red and three green, are set
in a candleholder known as the
Kinara, as a second symbol of
Africa. The color black represents
the color of the people, red for the
blood of their struggles and green
for the motherland, Africa.
A place mat, mkeka, symbolizes
the tradition and extension of
history which none can escape.
The mat is preferably to be made
of straw.
Another symbol, mazao, crops,
fruit and vegetable symbolize the
rewards of collective fruits and
labor. The symbolism of gifts,
zawadi, should be given as a
reward for commitments made
and kept and are usually
exchanged among members of a
nuclear family. Gifts should be
given with meaning that are
educational and beneficial to
nature. Books and hand-made
toys make excellent gifts.
The ears of corn, Vibunzi.
represents the produce of the stalk
of the potential offspring to
become stalks and reproducers
themselves. This emphasis placed
on the children represents the
hope of the future.
And the final symbol, the
communal unity cup, Kikombe
Cha Umoja, is the most important
symbol of Kwanzaa. It is used to
pour libration, Tambiko, in the
south, east and west in
remembrance of the ancestors.
In keeping with tradition, one
may choose to decorate his home
with the colors of Kwanzaa or
African motifs. One may even
choose to wear Afrocentric
hairstyle, fashions and prepare
African dishes in the comfort of
friends and family, keeping in
mind that all should be considered
economical.
For more information on this
rather unique holiday, you may
want to pick up a copy of the
revised edition of “Kwanzaa -
Everything You Wanted To
Know But Didn’t Know Where
To Ask.” A very complete
handbook about the festive
tradition, which can be found at a
local black bookstore.
Mumia Abu-Jamal
Continued From P6
operating without a license and
the D. A. promised to handle his
situation. The cab driver also
had a prior conviction that was
never brought up in the trial.
Weinglass said police beat
Mumiaon three occasions before
taking him to the hospital 45
minutes later. When he arrived,
they had him lying on the floor
bleeding before he was treated.
According to the Equal Justice
report, it took two hours of
surgery to remove the bullet that
had perforated his liver and
lodged.
At one time while he was in
the hospital, a nurse walked in to
find an officer stepping on
Jamal’s fluid bag. She had to tell
him to move.
Weinglass also pointed out the
weapon used to shoot Faulkner
was a 32, Jamal owned a 44.
According to the Equal Justice
USA report, the ballistic
evidence presented at the trial
was speculative. The state
claimed the murder weapon was
a gun legally registered in
Jamal’s name. Yet police
ballistics experts failed to match
the gun to any of the bullets
found in the officer’s body or at
the scene. A dusting of this
weapon just hours after the
incident failed to reveal Jamal’s
fingerprints. The police never
tested Mumia’s hands for
O.J. Simpson
Continued from P6
a Black man in Harlem was killed
by the police under disputed
circumstances.
According to an article in the
Oct. 20 issue of the Workers
Vanguard, as a police cruiser
slowly drove past Blacks holding
signs reading “Not Guilty” in a
South Philadelphia
neighborhood, a police officer
inside ominously gave the finger
to the crowd. Black San
Francisco mayoral candidate
Willie Brown reported getting
dozens of hate calls. L. A.’ s black
weekly, the Sentinel, reported
receiving at least a dozen threats
ranging from arson to drive-by
shootings. Within 15 minutes
after the verdict was announced,
Harlem’s Amsterdam News was
warned, “There’s going to be a
whole lot of dead n s.” This
was heightened when in southern
Pennsylvania hooded Klansmen
paraded in the streets.
Although, the media made it
seem as clear cut as Black verses
White, there were people in the
Black community who disagreed
powder bums.
The dipute surrounding the
evidence sparked a nationwide
controversy making Jamal one
of, if not the most, talked about
Black man on death row.
The prosecution used Jamal's
affiliation with the Black
Panthers to paint him as a cop-
hater. But this was in direct
violation of his First Amendment
rights of free speech and
association. Jamal was also a
stalwart supporter of a radical
organizaton called MOVE.
These factors alone made him a
prime target for the state.
On June 5, Jamal’s legal team
filed apost-conviction appeal for
a new trial based on the
inconsistencies mentioned. But
a new trial was denied.
His brother, who recently came
forward to testify, was absent at
the time of the 1982 trial. He had
been charged with assault and
his lawyers had told him to plead
the fifth.
Facts about
Black men on
death row
Jamal’s case needs to be
understood in the broader
contextof injustices in the U.S.
legal system.
Over 50 percent of those on
death row nationwide are
people of color. Black men
alone make up about 40% of
death row prisoners although
they represent less than 6
percent of the U.S. population
at large. Only two of the more
than 292 executions carried
out since the U.S. supreme
Court reinstated the death
penalty in 196 have resulted
from cases involving a black
victim and a white defendant.
Prison demographics are
similar to those of death row.
About 50% of U.S. prisoners-
a population which has
doubled in the last decade-
are people of color. Most
prisoners are unemployed or
undereployed when they enter
the system. Not surprisingly,
most prison sentences are for
economic crimes such as
larceny and burglary.
Put in a global context, the
U.S. has the highest
incarceration rate in the world.
An African American male
is almost five times more
than likely to go to jail as his
counterpart in South A frica,
making the U.S. the world’s
leading incarcerator per
capita of people of African
descent.
with the verdict.
“I know the son of a bitch did
it,” renowned author of “Blues
People” Amiri Baraka said in the
same issue of The New Yorker.
U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove
certainly didn’t agree with the
jury’s decision and filmmaker
Spike Lee was quoted as being
unhappy with the verdict in the
same issue.
In fact, quite a number of Black
people thought he was guilty or
had something to do with the
murders, but some of them were
still relieved at the verdict, which
brings up another interesting
point. Why did most Black
people cheered his acquittal when
they thought he had something
to do with it? What did it matter
that a Black man who had laid no
claims to the Black community
was allowed to go free. Maybe
they cheered because a Black
man had gone up against the
system and won.
This was indeed a rare
occurrence, but then so is a Black
celebrity being tried for murder.
Maybe without all his wealth and
influence, Simpson would have
been convicted like so many
others. Maybe without the help
of the “Dream Team,” Simpson
would have been just another
Black man sentenced to death
row.
Contradictions
Author Unknown
One bright morning in
the middle of the night,
Two dead boys got up
to fight.
Back to back they
faced each other
With swords and knives
they shot each other.
The deaf policeman
heard the noise
And arrested those two
dead boys
If you don’t believe my
story’s true,
Ask the blind man, he
saw it, too.