Guided by principles such as unity, purpose and collective responsibility, families and organizations are marking Kwanzaa this week, a seven-day cultural celebration rooted in African heritage.
This year’s annual Kwanzaa founder’s message is “Practicing the Seven Principles in Dimly-Lit Times: Lifting Up the Light, Hurrying the Dawn.”
Kwanzaa is observed for one week each year, from Dec. 26 through Jan. 1. New Jersey-based organizations and cultural leaders say its principles shape their work year-round, informing community building efforts rooted in unity, shared responsibility and cultural grounding.
The Seven Principles, or Nguzo Saba in Swahili, are:
- Umoja – Unity
- Kujichagulia -Self-Determination
- Ujima – Collective Work and Responsibility
- Ujamaa – Cooperative Economics
- Nia – Purpose
- Kuumba – Creativity
- Imani – Faith
Crystal Orr, president and CEO at the Urban League of Union County, said Urban League works to embody the seven principles of Kwanzaa.
“As federal budget cuts affect our ability to provide direct assistance, Imani helps us persevere, while Umoja and Ujima guide how we come together to support our community and build partnerships,” Orr said.
“We are intentionally shaping the Urban League as a haven and wellness space, with the 2026 goal of owning a building where people can turn for support, guidance and hope.
Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by scholar and activist Maulana Karenga in the aftermath of the 1965 Watts uprising in Los Angeles. The uprising erupted after years of racial discrimination and economic hardship, becoming a defining moment in the Civil Rights Era and shaping new forms of Black cultural and political expression.
Karenga developed Kwanzaa to help African Americans reconnect with African traditions and promote values aimed at strengthening families and neighborhoods.
The words and phrases he used to name the principles are Swahili, a Bantu language. This was a deliberate attempt at inclusivity, using a shared linguistic lineage rather than a single language or culture.
The name Kwanzaa comes from the Swahili phrase “matunda ya kwanza,” meaning “first fruits,” a reference to harvest celebrations practiced across Africa.
Each day of Kwanzaa highlights one principle, often marked by lighting a candle on the kinara, a seven-candle holder used during the celebration of Kwanzaa. The kinara typically has three red candles symbolizing struggle, three green candles, representing hope and the future and one black candle placed in the center that represents the people.
For Dr. Akil Khalfani, director of the Africana Institute at Essex County College in Newark, the principles of Kwanzaa extend well beyond a single week of observance.
“I use these seven principles in collaboration with the idea of Sankofa,” Khalfani said. “Sankofa is a Ghanaian concept represented by a bird that looks back while flying forward. It means that to know where you’re going, you must know where you’ve been.”
Though Sankofa and Kwanzaa are rooted in different African traditions, Khalfani said both principles inform his academic work and long-term community planning.
“We have to use Kwanzaa as a basis for planning, not just for the next year, but for the next 10 years,” he said. “That gives us a better trajectory for transforming our communities and the world we live in.”
At the Africana Institute, Khalfani said that approach centers on connecting people of African descent globally while grounding them in historical context.
“We’re making a connection to our living history,” he said, “so we have a better understanding of how to navigate this space.”
Masani Barnwell, co-owner of Source of Knowledge Bookstore and Cultural Center in Newark, the largest independent, Black-owned bookstore in the state, said Kwanzaa’s principles shape her personally and professionally.
“Kwanzaa is more than a holiday — it’s a way of living,” Barnwell said. “The principles guide how we move with purpose, how we work together and how we support one another. Nobody stands alone.”
Barnwell said principles such as Ujima and Ujamaa are reflected in the books they sell, the guest speakers they invite and the events they sponsor.
“This is your home,” she said of the Source of Knowledge. “We’re just facilitators. It’s the community that makes this space exist.”
Source of Knowledge sells Kwanzaa kits designed to help families observe the holiday at home.
The starter kits typically include a mat symbolizing foundation, a kinara, seven candles and a unity cup. Families can add symbolic items such as ears of corn representing children, meaningful gifts known as “zawadi,” the Swahili word for gift, fruit to honor the year’s harvest and red, black and green flags.
Barnwell said the store also carries children’s books that introduce Kwanzaa in simple, accessible ways, including titles such as My First Kwanzaa and books that explain each principle day by day.
“We want to keep it simple and from the heart,” she said. “That’s how traditions last.”
As Kwanzaa continues to be observed across homes, community centers and cultural institutions, advocates say its relevance remains strong, particularly during periods of social challenge.
“It all goes back to Malcolm’s impact on that incredible ’60s generation,” said Zayid Muhammad, chair of the Brooklyn-based Malcolm X Commemoration Committee traces Kwanzaa’s roots to broader cultural movements of that era.
“He made a loaded call for ‘liberation of the African personality, which included the infusion of our history and our African languages,” Muhammad added.
“As we wind down the centennial of Malcolm’s birth, and as we face a fresh unbridled attack on our history and culture, it is important to appreciate this, and to appreciate the strength and determination of our ancestors to dare to create safe spaces for our young to be grounded in the values, beauty and depth of our culture.”
