African American Student Services has been bringing Kwanzaa celebrations to the UNM community for 10 years.
Though in past years the Kwanzaa ceremony has been held on campus, this year the Kwanzaa committee will present a full candle -lighting ceremony, traditional foods and Kathy McGill and her jazz band at the Isotope Park VIP Lounge Saturday.
Kwanzaa is a holiday that was created in the '60s to provide a sense of unity to African Americans near the end of the Civil Rights Movement, senior student program adviser Jocelyn Gamble-Mims said.
"It's an African American holiday not based on religion because African American culture has several different religions," she said. "It's a tradition strictly based on culture.
Kwanzaa has been gaining popularity over the years, though at first, it was relatively obscure, Gamble-Mims said.
"When I was a kid in the late '70s, I had a friend who lived down the street from me who celebrated Kwanzaa. I didn't really consider it until I got to college because I was never really exposed to it," Gamble-Mims said.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
UNM's first Kwanzaa celebration took place while she was an undergraduate. Gamble-Mims recalls the event being very successful and having a large turnout even at its inception. The holiday's popularity grew considerably in the '90s, she said. She anticipates that its fame and status will steadily increase.
"We will be the first generation to really raise our kids with this tradition," committee member Casey Thornbrugh said.
A multiracial audience usually attends the Kwanzaa ceremony, Gamble-Mims said.
"I think it's great because it give us support and gives people an opportunity to get a snapshot of our culture," she said. "Parents bring their kids so they can experience elements of African American culture that are not being taught at school."
Kwanzaa is technically supposed to begin on Dec. 26 and continue through Jan. 1, the traditional feast day, but because these dates occur during winter break, the Kwanzaa committee celebrates early.
The ceremony is centered around the lighting of seven candles that are symbolic of the seven principals of Kwanzaa known as the Nguzo Saba which are: Unity, Self-determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity and Faith. The candles colors are significant as well. The green candle represents the land, the red candle represents ancestry and blood slain and the black candle represents "us, black folks," Gamble-Mims said.
This year, the candles will be lit by: Sharice Fine of the Black Student Union, Sharita Price of the National Society of Black Engineers, Trevon Davis of the bible study group IMPACT, Ndidi Amaka Okoli of AFRICA, Simone Brackett of the Brenda Chandler Literary Society, Jamilah Gamougoun of the Rhythm Cartel and Dee Brown of the Gospel Choir.
Though Kwanzaa has slowly made its way into the mainstream, commercials have been made and greeting cards are available, the principals are still in tact, Gamble-Mims said. Kwanzaa gifts are supposed to be hand-made because "it's not about material things. It's about getting back to the basics," she said.
"It's about remembering and paying respect to our ancestors," committee head Mari Winborn said.
The What, When and Where
What: Kwanzaa Celebration
When: Saturday, 7-10 p.m.
Price: $10 students, $15 faculty and staff,
$20 general admission
Where: Isotope Park VIP Lounge
1601 Avenida Cesar Chavez Blvd SE
Tickets and info: 277-5645
