< My Kwanza Song

home	what's new

My Kwanza Song

by Pam Green , copyright Dec 2024

(inspired by Adam Sandlers' Hanukkah Songs)

go to menu bar for site sections

Kwanza is a secular holiday ,an annual celebration of African-American culture from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called Karamu, . so maybe I should fill it with notable black women. whether or not still alive when Kwanzaa was invented in 1966. But because all humans are of African descent, I don't need to include only those of recent descent.

My Kwanza Song

by Pam Green , © Dec 26, 2024

"Michelle Obama lights the kinara,
So does Coretta King, but not Scarlett O'Hara".

Carol Braun and Shirley Chisholm celebrate Kwanza,
So does Kamala Harris, but not the Orange Monsta

Katharine Johnson , her role no longer Hidden,
Figures how many candles to light the Kwanza mission.
Rosa Parks refused to do as she was bidden,
Stayed sitting firmly, unyielding her position.

Black child Ruby Bridges, walked with immense courage
Flanked by four Marshalls, white violence to discourage.

Thurgood Marshall argued "separate's not equal"
Ruth Bader Ginsburg made all women less unequal
Will Ketanji Brown become their worthy sequel ?

Sojourner Truth asked "ain't I a woman ?"
Hillary Clinton declared "women's rights are human"

All will join the Feast of Karamu, our joyfulness sustained,
Cooked in part by Julia Child, who wrote of French cuisine,
In part by Martin Ginsburg, SCOTUS Chef Supreme,
While with songs by Adam Sandler our mirth be entertained.

WHAT'S NEW ?

SITE INDEX	BOUVIER	RESCUE	DOG CARE
PUPPY REARING	TRAINING	PROBLEMS	WORKING DOGS
BOOKS	VERSE	IMAGES	MISCELLANEOUS

footnotes :

Kwanzaa is a celebration of Black culture and African diasporic unity. Each day is dedicated to a principle that observers reflect on and celebrate. Kwanzaa comes from a phrase "matunda ya kwanza", meaning "first fruits" in Swahili.

Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Maulana Ron Karenga to: 1) Reaffirm and restore African heritage and culture. 2) To introduce and reinforce the Nguzo Saba or the Seven Principles.
Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to a principle, which gives each day a specific meaning and purpose on which to focus. The seven principles are unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.

Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday, not a religious one
Not just for Africans and African Americans. People of all races and ethnicities are welcome to celebrate Kwanzaa.

Why does Kwanzaa look like menorah? Unable to find a seven-hole candleholder in the Los Angeles area, Karenga used a nine-hole Jewish menorah and broke off two of the openings. And so the first Kwanzaa menorah, or kinara, was born.
A kinara holds seven candles, three red ones on the left, three green ones on the right with a black candle in the center.The red candle is lit next to show the importance of struggle. And the green represents the good future that is forged in righteous and relentless struggle. Thus, first the people (black), then the struggle (red), then the future (green) that emerges from the struggle.

return to top of page

site author Pam Green	copyright 2003
created 12/31/2023	revised 12/22/2024
return to top of page	return to Site Index