WASHINGTON PARK — For Pemon Rami, the tenets of Kwanzaa have very practical applications in daily life in the black community.
"How many people can argue with the fact that we need unity in our community, that we need self-determination, that we need purpose and faith? It’s important that people reflect on those values and then determine, 'How do you make the community better for the next year?'" said Rami, director of education and public programs at the DuSable Museum of African American History.
Rami led a Kwanzaa service Saturday for about 100 people, marking the second day of the Afro-centric holiday. Saturday's service celebrated Kujichagulia, the Swahili term for self-determination.
Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, an influential figure in the black power movement in the 1960s. It was based on first-fruit ceremonies in Africa, which celebrated the new harvest and "represented the opportunity for people to take advantage of sharing what they had accomplished through the year," Rami said.
"It was created as an opportunity to have black people gather at a specific time of the year to celebrate our history, to celebrate our accomplishments from the year," Rami said.
When Rami greeted those packed into the Ames Auditorium Saturday afternoon with the traditional Swahili greeting "Habari Gani," which means "what is the news?" only a few people knew the proper response, illustrating that the hourlong service was for beginners and experts alike wanting to bask in the tradition.
"We try to let people know what Kwanzaa is about because it's important that people recognize the value of the holiday, but also people need to know what it is. We try to explain what the holiday is, how it's celebrated, but we also try to actualize it at the same time, so people aside from hearing what it's about, can participate in the rituals," Rami said.
The celebration focuses on seven principles: Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity) and Imani (faith). Those pillars are essential to community, Rami said.
The community aspect is what inspired Lauren Holt, a 20-year-old sophomore at Robert Morris University to speak at the celebration. The Beverly native, who spent the last few weeks at protests around Chicago, said the celebration is representative of what youths around Chicago need.
"There's messages in each day of Kwanzaa that can help in life to stay focused on the things we need and forget about what we don't need," said Holt, adding self-determination is what inspired her uncle, Ronald Holt, to begin the Blair Holt Memorial Foundation, in memory of his slain son. Blair Holt was 16 when he was fatally shot in 2007 protecting a classmate from a gunman on a CTA bus.
Christopher Short and his wife, Deanna came to the museum Saturday from Beverly to educate their son about the holiday. More parents should take the opportunity while kids are on break, they said.
"How many kids are at home playing Xbox 360 when this free event can help them see beyond their situation?" said Christopher Short, adding the experience inspired him to set a goal for the new year, something his wife suggested.
It was important to give their son some practical experience in Kwanzaa, which they have celebrated sporadically. They hoped to return to the celebration after church Sunday, Deanna Short said.
"It exposes them to a more community aspect that goes beyond your faith," she said.
A special Kwanzaa family day celebration will take place at the DuSable Museum, 740 E. 56th Place, from 12 p.m.- 5 p.m. Sunday. The celebration is free. The museum is hosting Kwanzaa programs through Wednesday.
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