Dr. Maulana (Ron) Karenga is a professor at California State Univeristy, who was a pioneer in the Black Studies movement, and who is famous for creating the celebration of Kwanzaa. He had the insight to come up with this week long festival for Africans in America that has grown in stature, importance and relevance in the 34 years since its inception.

He carefully noted how every other group had their feasts and festivals, and thought it only fitting that we should have a celebration uniquely our own. Many of Africa’s peoples have major celebrations around harvest time. They take place in the fall. Karenga, looking at the calendar, saw a nice convenient slot. The week between Christmas and New Years, when school is out, and college students and others tend to travel "home for the holidays" seemed ideal. 

He saw that it would provide the opportunity for all of us to review what we have "harvested" in the passing year, and reflect on what seeds we should plant for the one about to begin. 

Today is the sixth day of Kwanzaa, KUUMBA (Creativity) Today let us think about what we can do to leave our community more beneficial and beautiful than we inherited it. What creative contributions can we make, individually and collectivity, to fulfill this valuable principle, KUUMBA?