What is Kwanzaa?
A short educational film exploring the meaning, symbols, and spirit of this powerful cultural celebration.
Five Star Women of Color, joins Race Forward’s Cultural Week of Action on Race and Democracy.
The short film, directed and produced by Five Star Women of Color, features Deanna Ikhinmwin, Shalewa Nyanza, and Makeda Scott, three community voices sharing the story of Kwanzaa through a modern, cinematic lens. The video was designed as part of Five Star Women of Color’s ongoing commitment to cultural education and community awareness, encouraging families, schools, and organizations to embrace and honor the principles of Kwanzaa throughout the year.​
The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa, known in Swahili as the Nguzo Saba, are the foundation of the celebration. Each day of Kwanzaa honors one of these principles — guiding values that uplift community, culture, and purpose:
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🕯 1. Umoja (Unity)
To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
— We are stronger together.
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🕯 2. Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)
To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.
— We tell our own story.
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🕯 3. Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility)
To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers’ and sisters’ problems our problems — and solve them together.
— We rise by lifting each other.
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🕯 4. Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)
To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and businesses and to profit from them together.
— Circulate the Black dollar, empower our future.
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🕯 5. Nia (Purpose)
To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
— We move with intention.
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🕯 6. Kuumba (Creativity)
To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
— We create, we build, we inspire.
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🕯 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.
— Faith in ourselves and in our future.