猫咪社区

Throughout my childhood, my paternal grandmother always made sure the family had a 鈥済ood鈥� Christmas. For her, that meant everyone received a gift鈥攅specially the children. We would meet at a relative鈥檚 house each year on Christmas Eve and at midnight exchange gifts. Money was often tight, and sometimes the holidays brought more of a burden when having to choose between buying decorations and gifts and paying bills.

For my own daughter鈥檚 and son鈥檚 first Christmases, I wanted them to have a good Christmas, too. I went overboard in trying to make this happen by buying unnecessary things. After that, I stopped buying gifts, and although I would still visit family for that holiday, I didn鈥檛 exchange gifts.

But these days, I鈥檓 starting my own traditions, which include observing the African American cultural holiday Kwanzaa. That doesn鈥檛 mean I can鈥檛 celebrate Christmas; it鈥檚 just given me a new approach to doing so.

In 1966, Maulana Karenga created Kwanzaa (derived from a Swahili phrase meaning 鈥渇irst fruits鈥�), a weeklong celebration to introduce and reinforce seven values, called Nguzo Saba, of African culture. Karenga is a professor and chair of Africana Studies at California State University, Long Beach. He said he created Kwanzaa specifically for African Americans, who did not have a day that celebrated their unique history and experience in the United States. While the early years of the holiday was in resistance to racism and White supremacy and rejected Christianity鈥攖herefore Christmas outright鈥攖he holiday has evolved to embrace all people of African descent no matter their religion.

Not everyone stresses about what the holidays demand of us, but the good news is, no one has to. Here are five ways the Nguzo Saba can inspire you to participate in the holidays without feeling financially and emotionally overwhelmed. Reclaim the holidays as your own. I did.

1. Don鈥檛 buy your gifts鈥攎ake them

You don鈥檛 have to give in to the holiday shopping tradition of overspending. Make meaningful gifts. Be creative, be intentional.

The principle of Kuumba (creativity) 鈥渢eaches us to do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial for future generations than we inherited it.鈥� From The Official Kwanzaa Website

2. If you must buy gifts, shop locally

Jobs and opportunities are created when dollars circulate locally. This creates healthier environments and builds community.

The principle of Ujamaa (cooperative economics) 鈥渢eaches us to build and maintain our own stores and other businesses and to profit from them together.鈥�

3. Be intentional about your gifts and charity

Look for decision-making opportunities that influence outcome. In building racial equity, these opportunities are called Choice Points. They鈥檙e a tool that is used to help us turn away from our same old choices/actions and make an equity-driven choice/action. If you鈥檙e used to giving to a charity or organization that is made up of mostly White people, instead consider organizations that benefit people of color and are run by people of color.

The principle of Ujima (collective work and responsibility) 鈥渢eaches us to build and maintain our community together and make our brothers鈥� and sisters鈥� problems our problems and to solve them together.鈥�

4. Attend or participate in a holiday celebration outside of your community

If you鈥檙e Catholic, change it up and visit a Protestant church, particularly one with people of color. If you鈥檙e atheist or agnostic, go with your churchgoing family members. If church is not your family鈥檚 thing, go together to visit a community center or an organization that helps displaced people.

The principle of Umoja (unity) 鈥渢eaches us to strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.鈥�

5. Do something special for yourself

It鈥檚 been a hell of a year. Take this time for self-care and reflection. Read a book of fiction. Spend time with friends with whom you don鈥檛 have to talk about politics. Take a trip; doesn鈥檛 have to be long or far. Drink wine 鈥� or tea. Journal: What are your personal goals to contribute to a just and sustainable world? Or write a letter to yourself reminding you of the good of humanity in the face of the year鈥檚 catastrophic events. Dream again.

The principle of Imani (faith) 鈥渢ells us to believe with all our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.鈥�

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Zenobia Jeffries Warfield is the former executive editor at 猫咪社区!, where she directed editorial coverage for 猫咪社区! Magazine, 猫咪社区! Media鈥檚 editorial partnerships, and served as chair of the 猫咪社区! Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee. A Detroit native, Zenobia is an award-winning journalist who joined 猫咪社区! in 2016 to build and grow 猫咪社区!鈥檚 racial justice beat, and continues to write columns on racial justice. In addition to writing and editing, she has produced, directed, and edited a variety of short documentaries spotlighting community movements to international democracy. Zenobia earned a BA in Mass Communication from Rochester College in Rochester, Michigan, and an MA in Communication with an emphasis in media studies from Wayne State University in Detroit. Zenobia has also taught the college course 鈥淭he Effects of Media on 猫咪社区,鈥� as an adjunct professor in Detroit. Zenobia is a member of NABJ, SABJ, SPJ, and the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting. She lives in Seattle, and speaks English and AAVE.

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