By Dr. Obari Cartman
The holiday season ended as a new year began. Holiday celebrations recognize principles that we should not restrict to one time of year but honor across seasons. Kwanzaa, in particular, centers values that can strengthen us individually and collectively throughout the year.
In 1966, Maulana Ndabezitha Karenga introduced Kwanzaa to celebrate African heritage expressed from a Black American perspective. The seven principles, called Nguzo Saba, include Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-determination), Ujima (Collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and Imani (Faith). The day after Christmas, Kwanzaa celebrations begin with a principle highlighted on each day and acknowledged during a candle lighting. Dancing, drumming, conversing and other events commence. Black people deserve plenty of opportunities to gather, embrace joy, and celebrate life. With this article, I introduce how we can extend Kwanzaa principles beyond a week into the new year.
- Umoja (Unity)
Is it easier to galvanize people around race than culture? The question presents an opening to explore the difference between Kwanzaa and Juneteenth.
Juneteenth recognizes the end of slavery when enslaved African Americans of Galveston, Texas received notification of their freedom on June 19, 1865. Beliefs in racial inferiority and economics justified enslavement. The conditions that shape narratives about race have real world consequences. However, race keeps us reacting to someone else’s interpretation of us. Race keeps us in survival mode. Race fosters victim mentality. Culture positions us with power, as parents of humanity.
Enslavers and colonizers banned drumming and dance across the Americas throughout history. Outlawing drums follows the same oppressive logic as prohibiting DEI, banning books and editing museums. Why are we not running back to culture when it seems such an obvious threat to our adversary?
Culture asks different questions than race: Who are we? What do we value? How do we define our humanity in relation to each other and the Earth? What brings us joy? How do we pass along wisdom through our stories?
Umoja (Unity) must be rooted in culture.
Dr. Obari Cartman drums and graces the celebration with music. Source: Manford Holmes
- Kujichagulia (Self-determination)
Everything else will confuse us if we interpret SELF with a colonized mind. Kujichagulia was never about your personal goals and success. The self must always be understood as a collective; I am because we are.
Anyone that has every created anything of value should respect the communal and ancestral nature of the creation process. We are imperfect vessels channeling divine wisdom. Seeds planted in our minds result from studying teachers and being cultivated by organizations. We must remember that our most fertile selves never exist without the influence of another.
- Ujima (Collective work and responsibility)
Ujima activates God-given talents that bring us joy and fulfillment while contributing value to the Black community. It takes time and community to discover meaningful work. Embracing technological conveniences means exchanging some of our access to Ujima. Good work simmers instead of yielding lightning speed results. Many of our children have lost appreciation for the thousands of hours of toil and focus it takes to go from interest to apprentice to expert. We cannot properly calculate the masterpieces of art, literature, science, engineering, and philosophy we are losing to scrolling and video games.
We should plant more literal seeds in actual dirt with our children. They need to experience growing potatoes. If they only know microwaved french fries, then they will not appreciate work necessary to sustain families and communities.
- Ujamaa (Cooperative economics)
Financial literacy must teach values that include the principles of responsible consumerism. Ujamaa requires us to interrogate our values. All the Black business directories in the world will not help us until we learn to trust each other. We have to choose to sacrifice sometimes and be more patient with each other. The act might cost a little more money in the short term but restore generational community health in the long term. Capitalist rituals often shape our tastes for opulence and hypnotize us with symbols of wealth. As descendants of enslaved people, we cannot continue to be so easily bought and sold. In a class war, billionaires are much closer to villains than heroes.
- Nia (Purpose)
I try not to say the abbreviation “Al” when I discuss Artificial Intelligence. AI sounds too cute. It’s important to keep reiterating the ‘artificial’ part to remind us that it’s not real, it’s fake, it’s not real, it’s fake… I can certainly see the utility of Artificial Intelligence tools. I can also see the danger. The one I’m most concerned about is the erosion of our children’s Nia.
While writing a grant, I used Chat GPT to help organize my thoughts. Then, it started thinking for me. The final product was clear, perfectly formatted, and a lie. I did not recognize myself in it. I trained an artificial tool to make me sound authentic. In the end, I did not feel comfortable attaching my name to it. I gained an appreciation for two truths: 1) I spent a lifetime cultivating my own unique voice, and 2) I like that voice.
My fear is that our children will exchange authenticity for convenience so often that they never find their voice. They won’t learn to recognize its nuances. Authentic expression, paired with intentional solitude and listening to our inner voices, is the best pathway to discover Nia in community. Silence, something our children also rarely experience, presents solutions and reveals gifts. We must put pen and pencil in our children’s hands. We must sit and listen intently to them, without judgment. We must ask them hard questions, gently, and let them fumble to articulate evolving answers. They need blank sheets of paper and canvases. We must help them find and love their voice, then get out of the way to marvel at the masterpieces they become.
- Kuumba (Creativity)
It’s almost impossible to rule over people who are creative. Art and innovation must be restricted if a regime intends to maintain control. Yes, creativity can feel good, encourage catharsis, and be lots of fun. But Kuumba is fundamentally revolutionary. Imagination allows us to see different versions of communities and societies. Art is high expression of intelligence manifested through creations of engineering, architecture, movement, healing, music, caretaking, education, agriculture, play, pleasure and institutional building.
Malcolm X College in Chicago, Illinois invited Dr. Obari Cartman to lead Kwanzaa rituals. Source: Candice Washington
- Imani (Faith)
I do not believe Black people are as faithful as we say. We lack Imani and believe in systems more than we believe in ourselves. We convince ourselves that trying is worthless because losing is inevitable. Faith does not mean waiting for some supernatural power to fix everything. We must have faith in our work. If we believe in ourselves as the parents of humanity, originators of civilization, and descendants of mighty people, then we should behave accordingly. Imani means trusting that what we accomplished before can be achieved again.
Let’s leave apathy in 2025 and believe we can and will win. We are not designed to cower and complain. Let’s restore our faith in each other. Kwanzaa principles are an approach to study, prove and improve upon our ancestors’ blueprints. Anything lost can be restored exponentially. Trust the process. Be bold. Be you, so that we can be us.
Dr. Cartman is a father, author, educator and grassroots mental health advocate. Dr. Cartman recently created a male rites of passage curriculum called MANifest that is being implemented in juvenile detention centers, schools and other community settings across the country. Dr. Cartman facilitates trainings for adults and workshops with youth about maintaining mental wellness, critical analysis of hip-hop and media, racial and cultural identity, and healthy relationships. Dr. Cartman recently released his second book titled “Black Spirituality: Ancient Wisdom to Heal Generational Trauma”. Follow him on Instagram @ocartman1, facebook Obari Cartman, and LinkedIN Obar Cartman. You can learn more at DrObariCartman.com.
