There’s never been a Kwanzaa quite like this one.
Like most holidays in 2020, Kwanzaa’s seven-day celebration will look markedly different than in years past due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Starting Dec. 26, those who observe the seven-day cultural holiday will honor the seven principles of African culture, starting with Umoja (Unity), followed by Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and Imani (Faith).
“More people are starting to focus on who they are, and what they want their families to experience empowering cultural stories that get our brains from up under the foot of oppression,” Janine Bell, the president and artistic director of Elegba Folklore Society in Richmond, Va., told