Christocentric

(not original formatting as in book)

Purposes

In spite of present attempts to make the celebration multicultural, Kwanzaa
was birthed with the intention of being a cultural event for Blacks only.
Such discrimination is evidenced by stories of white parents of bi-racial
children who were banned from participating in Kwanzaa celebrations.³
Dr. Karenga created Kwanzaa because he desired that Black people have a
celebration of their own and thus can avoid mimicking the holidays of the
“dominant society,” a phrase he uses to describe white society. He explains:

It [Kwanzaa] was chosen to give a Black alternative to the existing
holiday and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and
history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant
society.⁴

Despite his original motivation for Kwanzaa, Dr. Karenga has since softened
his exclusive stance on the holiday in his 1997 book, Kwanzaa: A
Celebration of Family, Community and Culture. He now insists that:
Kwanzaa is clearly an African Holiday created for African peoples.

But other people can and do celebrate it, just like other people
participate in Cinco de Mayo besides Mexicans; Chinese New Year
besides Chinese; Native American pow wows besides Native
Americans.⁵

The Truth About Kwanzaa
Copyright ©2009 by Carlotta Morrow