There was a time when almost no one in America -- black, white or other -- knew what Kwanzaa was or even how to pronounce it.
Now, 33 years after its inception, the annual African-American cultural celebration is almost run of the mill. Well, almost.
When Donald F. Wallace, a Columbia consultant who develops self-esteem programs for African-American youths, began celebrating Kwanzaa in 1966, "no one was into it. The fact that it's made it onto TV now and into the big retail stores is a testament to how mainstream it's become," he said. "Well, it's made it into the black mainstream, let's put it that way."
This year, Wallace and more than 100 other Howard residents inaugurated Kwanzaa -- which means "first fruits of the harvest" in Swahili -- during a traditional ceremony Sunday at St. John the Evangelist Baptist Church in Ellicott City.
Advertised as a countywide celebration of Kwanzaa, the gathering was free and organizers hoped to attract a large cross-section of the county's growing black population.
The event was co-sponsored by the Howard County Center for African American Culture, the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Council of Elders of Howard County and the Black Student Achievement Program.
The three-hour celebration included music, dancing and a few short lectures about the holiday.
Kwanzaa is a deeply meaningful holiday for African-Americans. Black people everywhere should be encouraged to observe the occasion, Wallace said, including those in Howard County.
"Hey, we live in Plasticville, USA," Wallace said. "Columbia is not the real world by any stretch. We need to celebrate Kwanzaa."
Kwanzaa's beginnings
Started in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, a black nationalist and a professor of black studies at California State University in Long Beach, Kwanzaa is celebrated from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1
The holiday has seen its popularity -- and influence -- increase with each passing year.
Today, more than 5 million people worldwide participate in some aspect of the seven-day cultural observance, which focuses on aspects of the nguzo saba, or principles for living.
The seven principles
Kwanzaa focuses each day on one of seven principles: umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work and responsibility), ujamaa (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity) and imani (faith).
