Kwanzaa starts today and the first principle is Umoja. Umoja is the principle of unity in family, relationships, and heart. On this day we light the black candle which stands for unity.
One of the main reasons I wanted to incorporate Kwanzaa in to our traditions is because of this principle alone. Without Unity nothing good can happen. Unity in family is by far the most important thing to an individuals growth, to the community, to a race to our country. I grew up seeing family not united and it had an effect on me. To this day It hurts me deeply to see the loss of unity in the world and especially in my own family as a whole. I need to make sure to instill the importance of this one simple principle in my children so we can always be stronger together. So we can always have each other and Mani and Rion will have a sibling relationship that so many in our family do not. And with that maybe a new cycle will start for the next generations of Galera's. That's my dream at least...
What is Unity? (what we learned)...
Throughout history, African American families have struggled to maintain their unity. Part of the problem is the history of slavery. Slaves were property. They were no better than horses or cows. Like horses and cows, there were breeding slaves, both male and female. Even if a slaves had their family together, there was no guarantee that they would remain together. A slave could be sold away from their family at anytime. Babies were sometimes sold from their mother's arms. Children were sold. A violent or destructive slave would be sold or see his family sold away from him as punishment. After slavery, many slaves looked for their families and never found them.
Kwanzaa and the principle of Umoja allow African Americans to unite and bond in our most important relationships, with our families, and with our community. Umoja teaches us that great changes happen when blacks unite for a common cause. The Civil rights movement is a good example. When Southern Blacks unified to stop white segregation and brutality in the south, they started the ball rolling for change in American society.
Unity begins in the heart. One has to be unified in purpose. One has to unified with those whom they love and one has to find unity in their community. Umoja allows African Americans to explore this theme of unity and to find unity of their own. Families should unify during this time. Family unity encourages families to create daily routines, as well as special traditions and celebrations which affirm members, connect them to family roots, and add creativity and fun to ordinary events. Families can build a secure nest in many ways. The nest must shelter without smothering and allow room for all members to “test their wings” under protection and encouragement.
Key Points
• Strong families recognize that there are benefits and pleasures to be gained from time and activities together. They also realize that they have contributions to make to the family and its members and some obligation to do so. They value the family bond and make efforts to preserve time together for family activities and interaction.
• Families that value unity will, from time-to-time, evaluate the time and energy allocated to family, and when necessary, make needed adjustments.
• By spending pleasant, positive time together, families build up a reserve of good feelings. When trouble comes, it has to be shared with the family and resolved.
• What families do together does not matter so much as that they do something together that is mutually planned and enjoyable. As a general principle, it is probably a good idea to strive for a balanced activity program, including active and inactive, physical and mental, old and new, at home and away, work and play. Spontaneity, humor, wit, and fun are goals to strive for.
• Family unity includes time that family members spend together, both quality and quantity. It means maintaining family identity and togetherness, balancing family priorities with support for member needs, producing strong family bonds, and freedom for individual self-expression.
Who we learned about... (in honor of my little cousins namesake)
S TOKELY C ARMICHAEL
Stokely Carmichael was a civil rights activist during the turbulent 1960s. He soared to fame by popularizing the phrase "Black Power." Black Power meant black people coming together to form a political force and either electing representatives or forcing their representatives to speak their needs [rather than relying on established parties] It is a call for black people in this country to unite, to recognize their heritage, to build a sense of community. It is a call for black people to define their own goals, to lead their own organizations. The African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968) refers to the movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring voting rights in Southern states.
Stokely Carmichael was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on June 29, 1941. His father moved his family to the United States when Stokely was only two years old. While Carmichael was in school in the Bronx in the early 1960s, the civil rights movement exploded into the forefront of American culture. The Supreme Court declared that school segregation (separating people based on their race) was illegal. African Americans in Montgomery, Alabama, successfully ended segregation on the city's buses through a yearlong boycott. During the boycott, they recruited others to stop using the buses until the companies changed their policies. During Carmichael's senior year in high school, four African American freshmen from a school in North Carolina staged a famous sit-in, or peaceful protest, at the white-only lunch counter in a department store.
The action of these students captured the imagination of young Carmichael. He soon began participating in the movements around New York City. Carmichael also traveled to Virginia and South Carolina to join sit-ins protesting discrimination (treating people differently based solely on their race). Carmichael joined a local organization called the Nonviolent Action Group. This group was connected with an Atlanta-based civil rights organization, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Whenever he had free time, Carmichael traveled south to join the "freedom riders," an activist group that rode interstate buses in an attempt to end segregation on buses and in bus terminals.
After graduating in 1964 with a bachelor's degree in philosophy, Carmichael stayed in the South. He constantly participated in sit-ins, picketing, and voter registration drives (organized gatherings to help people register to vote). He was especially active in Lowndes County, Alabama, where he helped found the Lowndes County Freedom Party, a political party that chose a black panther as its symbol. The symbol was a perfect choice to oppose the white rooster that symbolized the Alabama Democratic Party.
Activities...
Today we started off with making some more decorations for our Kwanzaa Central. As mentioned before (*see The 7 Symbols) An ear of corn represents each child in the family Rion and Imani made their own kernel corn craft. We also made an African flag out of glitter.
One of the main reasons I wanted to incorporate Kwanzaa in to our traditions is because of this principle alone. Without Unity nothing good can happen. Unity in family is by far the most important thing to an individuals growth, to the community, to a race to our country. I grew up seeing family not united and it had an effect on me. To this day It hurts me deeply to see the loss of unity in the world and especially in my own family as a whole. I need to make sure to instill the importance of this one simple principle in my children so we can always be stronger together. So we can always have each other and Mani and Rion will have a sibling relationship that so many in our family do not. And with that maybe a new cycle will start for the next generations of Galera's. That's my dream at least...
What is Unity? (what we learned)...
Throughout history, African American families have struggled to maintain their unity. Part of the problem is the history of slavery. Slaves were property. They were no better than horses or cows. Like horses and cows, there were breeding slaves, both male and female. Even if a slaves had their family together, there was no guarantee that they would remain together. A slave could be sold away from their family at anytime. Babies were sometimes sold from their mother's arms. Children were sold. A violent or destructive slave would be sold or see his family sold away from him as punishment. After slavery, many slaves looked for their families and never found them.
Kwanzaa and the principle of Umoja allow African Americans to unite and bond in our most important relationships, with our families, and with our community. Umoja teaches us that great changes happen when blacks unite for a common cause. The Civil rights movement is a good example. When Southern Blacks unified to stop white segregation and brutality in the south, they started the ball rolling for change in American society.
Unity begins in the heart. One has to be unified in purpose. One has to unified with those whom they love and one has to find unity in their community. Umoja allows African Americans to explore this theme of unity and to find unity of their own. Families should unify during this time. Family unity encourages families to create daily routines, as well as special traditions and celebrations which affirm members, connect them to family roots, and add creativity and fun to ordinary events. Families can build a secure nest in many ways. The nest must shelter without smothering and allow room for all members to “test their wings” under protection and encouragement.
Key Points
• Strong families recognize that there are benefits and pleasures to be gained from time and activities together. They also realize that they have contributions to make to the family and its members and some obligation to do so. They value the family bond and make efforts to preserve time together for family activities and interaction.
• Families that value unity will, from time-to-time, evaluate the time and energy allocated to family, and when necessary, make needed adjustments.
• By spending pleasant, positive time together, families build up a reserve of good feelings. When trouble comes, it has to be shared with the family and resolved.
• What families do together does not matter so much as that they do something together that is mutually planned and enjoyable. As a general principle, it is probably a good idea to strive for a balanced activity program, including active and inactive, physical and mental, old and new, at home and away, work and play. Spontaneity, humor, wit, and fun are goals to strive for.
• Family unity includes time that family members spend together, both quality and quantity. It means maintaining family identity and togetherness, balancing family priorities with support for member needs, producing strong family bonds, and freedom for individual self-expression.
Who we learned about... (in honor of my little cousins namesake)
S TOKELY C ARMICHAEL
Stokely Carmichael was a civil rights activist during the turbulent 1960s. He soared to fame by popularizing the phrase "Black Power." Black Power meant black people coming together to form a political force and either electing representatives or forcing their representatives to speak their needs [rather than relying on established parties] It is a call for black people in this country to unite, to recognize their heritage, to build a sense of community. It is a call for black people to define their own goals, to lead their own organizations. The African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968) refers to the movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring voting rights in Southern states.
Stokely Carmichael was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on June 29, 1941. His father moved his family to the United States when Stokely was only two years old. While Carmichael was in school in the Bronx in the early 1960s, the civil rights movement exploded into the forefront of American culture. The Supreme Court declared that school segregation (separating people based on their race) was illegal. African Americans in Montgomery, Alabama, successfully ended segregation on the city's buses through a yearlong boycott. During the boycott, they recruited others to stop using the buses until the companies changed their policies. During Carmichael's senior year in high school, four African American freshmen from a school in North Carolina staged a famous sit-in, or peaceful protest, at the white-only lunch counter in a department store.
The action of these students captured the imagination of young Carmichael. He soon began participating in the movements around New York City. Carmichael also traveled to Virginia and South Carolina to join sit-ins protesting discrimination (treating people differently based solely on their race). Carmichael joined a local organization called the Nonviolent Action Group. This group was connected with an Atlanta-based civil rights organization, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Whenever he had free time, Carmichael traveled south to join the "freedom riders," an activist group that rode interstate buses in an attempt to end segregation on buses and in bus terminals.
After graduating in 1964 with a bachelor's degree in philosophy, Carmichael stayed in the South. He constantly participated in sit-ins, picketing, and voter registration drives (organized gatherings to help people register to vote). He was especially active in Lowndes County, Alabama, where he helped found the Lowndes County Freedom Party, a political party that chose a black panther as its symbol. The symbol was a perfect choice to oppose the white rooster that symbolized the Alabama Democratic Party.
Activities...
Today we started off with making some more decorations for our Kwanzaa Central. As mentioned before (*see The 7 Symbols) An ear of corn represents each child in the family Rion and Imani made their own kernel corn craft. We also made an African flag out of glitter.
Imani and Rion working on decorations
a booklet of the 7 Principles we started
done! (Mani wanted hers upside down)
After we learned about Unity and family as well as Stokely Carmichael we then created a list of goals for 2011 to help our family become more united. Both Mani and Rion gave suggestions. Hers were to play with her daddy and for Rion and I to go to the playground more with her and slide (she suggested this like 5 times...). Some things Rion and I came up with taking at least 3 family vacations, a movie night every other Saturday, making cookies every holiday and out to dinner once a month. the kids blew out the candle after we recited what Umoja meant and then i gave them their gifts. We were all going to get our own family cup but I already opened mine when we celebrated Imani and Mani actually got a little teaset instead of a cup along with her family scrapbook i made for her (Rion got his on Imani day). Rion gave me a pretty purple ring!And with that our Umoja ceremony was over. We made snickerdoodels together in conclusion of the day. Good times and we all were happy I think me the most because I had us all together just enjoying things I really hold important to the foundation of a good family. Happy Kwanzaa! Saty tuned for tomorrows principle - kujichagulia - self determination!
Some of Rion's scrapbook
some of Imani's scrapbook
