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First Kwanzaa Celebration
Event Date:
December, 1986
Event Type:
80s Charlotte 1980-1989
December 1986 - The first annual Kwanzaa celebration is held.
- The Afro-American Center holds its first Kwanzaa celebration. It becomes an annual tradition in Charlotte.
- This week-long holiday was created 20 years earlier by California State University professor Dr. Maulana Karenga to celebrate African American heritage.
- Based on an African harvest festival, Kwanzaa activities include candle-lighting and feasting. In Swahili, Kwanzaa means "first fruits." Its Nguzo Saba, or seven principles, are
Umoja: Unity
Kujichagulia: Self-determination
Ujima: Collective work and responsibility
Ujamaa: Cooperative economics
Nia: Purpose
Kuumba: Creativity
Imani: Faith
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