Putnam County NAACP has formed an ad hoc committee to plan an annual Kwanza celebration.
President Tom Savage said many locations throughout the United States celebrate Kwanza, but not many rural areas. He said many people honestly do not even know what Kwanza is and he himself learned about it from a school teacher.
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“She wanted her kids to know the African American side of their family,” Savage said. “She introduced it to her children and she knows the ins and outs about it. And she was so excited about Kwanza that it perked my interest. And I’m saying to myself we should have been doing this a long time ago.”
Savage said the first order of business for the committee will be to take a deep dive into the meaning of Kwanza. Savage said they will determine how to present it to the community to make sure the celebration is accepted and that everyone gets excited about it.
Savage said after that, the committee will implement the Kwanza program to start on December 26 and run through the new year.
“I believe that’s why the committee is so important,” Savage said. “To make sure we get it right before we activate it.”
Savage said the committee wants to involve as many people in the community as possible. He said although they certainly want Black Indigenous People of Color to celebrate, they also want to share with the wider community the many aspects of African American culture from basic values to attire, food and music.
“Exactly a day after Christmas, people in our community will say, ‘Hey, it’s time for Kwanza’,” Savage said.
Savage said the committee remains in the research and planning stages at this time. He said future meetings will include a time line to prepare for this year’s celebration.
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