Word: kwanzaa
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...contrast, consider for a moment Kwanzaa, a black quasi-alternative to Christmas. The inspiration for Kwanzaa was born not in a manger, but in the mind of a would-be wise man, Dr. Maulana Karenga, a college professor in the 1960s. The holiday is founded on a fairly simple, if somewhat alarming, syllogism: blacks share a common African cultural heritage; blacks do not have a winter holiday of their own to celebrate; so blacks ought to have a holiday of their own with African underpinnings, festive rituals and all the trappings of a religious feast...
...Kwanzaa's premises raise important questions answered persuasively by the practice of Black History Month. Is an assumed African cultural heritage the most preferable source of identity and ethnic pride for black Americans? Do blacks as such require separate holidays? Black History Month suggests otherwise...
...this hypocrisy best resolved? The answer is certainly not the distribution of a few token menorahs and Kwanzaa lights. The notion that December is the month for religious expression is Christian in origin. The most important holidays of other religious fall at other times during the year. And, it would be impractical for the College to force House Masters and Committees to stage religious displays in honor of each and every holiday...
...December. Think Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and, of course, Colorectal Cancer Education and Awareness Month. Other notable events...
...poster that says "Faith" "Family" "Freedom" even we could tell was authentic, but the one that reads, "Christmas Kwanzaa Easter If you know which one doesn't belong...JOIN PENISNULA!" we just couldn't be sure of. And Jay M. Dickerson '98, a "guardian" at Peninsula was at an equal loss. Finally, he seemed to remember seeing that one and admitted that it was in fact real...