Hello World,

Today is the day before new years eve Wednesday, December 30, 2009. This is the fifth day of Kwanzaa NIA pronouced nee-AH. The definition, to make as our collective vocation, the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness. As a crescendo to our seven day celebration I am going to focus on that last few words of the definition of NIA. "Restore our people to their traditional greatness." As I said in my previous post, this is my second year celebrating Kwanzaa and really reading to understand the full meaning of each principle. But, when I get to the last words of this principle it makes me aware of the fact that "our people" experienced greatness on another continient, another hemisphere, another age. Restoration would mean that we are not great RIGHT NOW and I live by a self proclaimed principle that I am ALREADY great. I wish that we lived in a world where we didn't have to engage in a history where our communities were destroyed by civil war, racism and Jim Crow. However, the reality of these actions are evident and prevelant in our media and marketing every day. We have to realize that we validate ourselves although we live in a culture that degrades the acceptance of our ancestors being from another land and studying another religion. The fact that we, as a people, have accepted the culture of a nation that says that we are 3/5 of a man just to protect our families from being separated or even murdered is disturbing. Nonetheless, we are a great people. Maya Angelou said it better when she wrote, "You may write me down in history, With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I'll rise. Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides, Just like hopes springing high, Still I'll rise." Those are very powerful words from a great woman in our history as I end my post for today.