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Spelman , f <poTLir f m V V THE VOICE OF BLACK WOMANHOOD HAPPY HOLIDAYS! By Carla D. Johnson Reporter Matunda Ya Kwanza (Kiswahali for first fruit) was created by Dr. M. Ron Karenga for Black Americans ap proximately 15 years ago. Kwan za was founded to allow Black Americans the opportunity to, "celebrate our families and communities, our warmth and love, our interdependence and freedom of struggle and our joy and strength." In the United States, Kwanza is a symbolic event that takes place each year Dec. 26 - Jan. 1st. The Kwanza celebration is a time in which, “Black people come together to celebrate our African heritage, to give thanks to our ancestors, to reaffirm the belief that elders should be respected, to reinforce our value framework for our children, and to celebrate the seven principles of the Black Value System - the Nguzo Saba.” The seven prin ciples of Nguzo Saba are as follows: 1. Umoja — Unity - To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race. 2. Kujichagulia — Self - Deter mination - To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves rather than to allow others to do these things for us. 3. Ujima — Collective Work and Responsibility - To build and maintain our community together to make our sisters’ and brothers’ problems our problems, and to solve them togehter. 4. Ujamaa — Cooperative Economics - To build and main tain our own stores, shops, and other businesses to profit from them together. 5. Nia — Purpose - To make our colelctive vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness. 6. Kuumba — Creativity - To do always as much as we can in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than when we inherited it. 7. Imani — Faith - To believe with all our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle. These seven principles will aid us in overcoming the political dilemma faced by Black people. They provide us with a unique value system and we must utilize them on a daily basis. As Spelman women, we are living a legacy. The founders of Spelman College’ Sophia Packard and Harriet Giles, dedicated their lives to fulfilling the mission of quality education for women. As a result of their efforts, our school has grown to be the finest, and most prestigeous Black women’s college in the country today, and that is something to be proud of. Spelman College is renown for graduating top quality Black women that are pioneers and leaders in a variety of areas. Naming a few of our alumni, we have Marian Wright Edelman who is director of the Chidlren’s Defense Fund in Washington, D.C., and chairperson of Spelman's board of trustees; Effie O. Ellis, a medical doctor and scientist; Mattiwilda Dobbs, an opera star, and Ester Rolle a 1979 Emmy winner. These women and other Black women are serving as role models for us. Through their outstanding achievements, they are saying with Nia — a purpose, Ku jichagulia — self - determina tion, and Imani - faith, that we can all achieve and make sub stantial contributions to our people during our life times. We do not have to wait until we graduate from Spelman and begin our careers to make our contributions. As Spelman sisters, we can achieve Umoja (Unity) now by working together to fulfill the needs of our com munity and the people that live in it. Every young woman at Spelman is unique and has her own special attribute that is helping to make Spelman what it is. The sixth principle, Kuumba, means creativity to do always as much as we can, in order to leave cur community more beautiful and beneficial than when we inherited it. And, our communi ty is more than the inside of Spelman’s gates. It is the project homes and poverty surrounding us aswelf. This valuable principal and realization should be foremost in our minds as Spelman students. Spelman College does have much to offer us, and during these hard economic times, we need to take advantage of all the valuable resources and opportunities that are available to us as Spelman students, so that we will be equipped to give of ourselves within our respective com munities. Kwanza is much more than a week’s worth of celebration, it is a way of life. The Nguzo Saba are a value system that we all need to give considerable thought and application to in the years ahead. Let’s all try to make life as enjoyable as possible for everyone we come in contact with. I r: Merry Christmas and Happy KWANZA! \