South Bend Kwanzaa celebration unites generations and connects to historical culture
SOUTH BEND — Erika Jones was a young mom of three in the early days of South Bend’s community Kwanzaa ceremonies. She credits those gatherings with teaching her how to observe the week-long African American celebration of family, community and culture with her own children.
On Thursday, Jones watched with pride as the next generation of her family — her three grandchildren and a great-nephew — participated in the Kwanzaa gathering hosted by the South Bend Chapter of the Indiana Black Expo at the St. Joseph County Public Library.
“It means a lot to me,” she said.
The children helped light the kinara, which holds seven candles that represent the seven principles of Kwanzaa: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.
“Seven candles stand for seven principles that we want to carry with us everywhere for 365 days a year,” said Akila Karanja, who, along with her husband, Joseph, unpacked Kwanzaa’s rich symbolism for the nearly full auditorium.
She explained the kinara, or candle holder, itself represents the African people. “We reconnect in the diaspora with the continental Africans,” she said.
Joseph Karanja added that when Africans came to America as slaves, they were cut off from their culture and traditions. “Kwanzaa was created to bring back that personal and cultural identity that was lost,” he said.
Retired South Bend Community Schools Corp. educator Sharon Hurt was one of seven community elders honored during the program. She encouraged the audience to reflect on how well they are living up to the principles and what they could do better.
“We’re losing a lot of our young people today, and that’s really troubling to me as an educator, as a mother, as a grandmother," she said. "We’ve got to do better, and it starts with us."
The local nonprofit Mama’s Against Violence, which was founded 20 years ago by five grieving mothers, was also honored for its work. The group’s president Bobbie Woods, a founding member, recalled standing on the second floor of Memorial Hospital as her son took his last breath and promising God that if he helped her through her loss she would be willing to do whatever he had for her to do. “I never thought that 20 years later, I would still be doing that,” she said.
The other honorees were Darryl Boykins, Glenda Rae Hernandez, Mike Jackson, Adeline Wigfall-Jones and Dr. Jan Sanders.
The program also included an instrumental performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and entertainment from UZIMA Drum and Dance.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend Kwanzaa celebration unites generations
