WELL WHETHER YOU CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS OR HANUKKAH, FAMILY
AND TRADITION ARE CHERISHED DURING THE HOLIDAYS, AND THE
CELEBRATION OF KWANZAA IS NO DIFFERENT.
CREATED BACK IN 1966 AS A WAY TO REUNITE THE COMMUNITY FOLLOWING
THE WATTS RIOTS IN LOS ANGELES, KWANZAA HAS GROWN TO BECOME AN
ANNUAL TRADITION FOR MANY AFRICAN-AMERICANS, A TIME TO
CELEBRATE THEIR FAMILY AND RICH CULTURE.
THE SPADY CULTURAL HERITAGE MUSEUM IN DELRAY BEACH IS
PREPARING FOR THEIR 17TH ANNUAL KWANZAA CELEBRATION AT THE END
OF THE MONTH.
HERE WITH DETAILS IS MUSEUM DIRECTOR CHARLENE FARRINGTON AND
AKBAR JAMES WATSON, A MEMBER OF THE SANKOFA STUDY GROUP.
GREATLY TO HAVE BOTH OF YOU WITH US.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.
WHEN IT COMES TO KWANZAA YOU ARE AN EXCERPT.
WE HAVE A -- EXPERT.
TALK ABOUT THE CANDLES.
BASICALLY, KWANZAA HAS SEVEN SYMBOLS AND ONE SYMBOL IS THE
CANDLES AND THEY CALL IT THE MISHUMA SA BRVEGA, SEVEN CANDLES
FOR THE SEVEN PRINCIPALS.
WE HAVE THE CANARA, THE CABD L HOLDER.
THE BASE.
WE HAVE THE FLUTE.
THAT IS FOR THE HARVEST.
THE HARVEST.
AND YOU HAVE THE COSH, CORN SYMBOLIZES FOR THE CHILDREN, FOR
EACH CHILD IN THE HOME THEY PUT AN EAR OF CORN TON MAT.
DEPENDS HOW MANY KIDS YOU HAVE, PERFECT.
THE NEXT SYMBOL IS THE MAT, I HAVE THE PLACE MAT THERE, MADE
OUT OF CARD BOARD.
MOST OF THE SYMBOLS ARE HAND MADE.
YOU HAVE THE GIFT, WE HAVE BOOKS AND WE HAVE STAMPS AND WE HAVE A
BASKET FROM RWANDA, WE GIVE OUT GIFTS.
AND THE NEXT IS THE CUP, THE UNITY CUP AND USED FOR POURING
LIBATIONS.
IS THAT SOMETHING PEOPLE DRINK FROM IN THE FAMILY, PASS
IT AROUND AND DRINK FROM IT?
80.
BASICALLY, IT IS A SYMBOLIC GESTURE.
FROM A TIME IN HISTORY WE DID DRINK FROM THE SAME CUP BUT NOW
AS TIMES HAVE EVOLVED WE DO THE SYMBOLIC GESTURE.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS TO BE
CELEBRATED AT THE MUSEUM.
ONE OF THE THINGS YOU MENTION SAID THIS IS AN IMPORTANT
CELEBRATION FOR KIDS.
YES, SLUM.
AS A BLACK HISTORY MUSEUM THAT PRESERVES THE HISTORY OF OUR
CULTURE AND OUR COMMUNITY, WE FEEL IT'S IMPORTANT TO SHARE
THIS KWANZAA CELEBRATION AND THE MEANING THAT IT HAS FOR PEOPLE
OF AFRICAN DISACCIDENT.
DISSENT.
TO REMEMBER OUR HERITAGE FROM THE CONTINENT OF AFRICA.
SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE HOLD THIS EVENT FOR CHILDREN TO
CONTINUALLY TEACH THEM ABOUT THEIR CULTURE.
IT HAS ENOUGH COLOR, ENOUGH ACTIVITIES AND ENOUGH INTEREST,
TO HOLD THE INTEREST OF OUR CHILDREN.
SO AT THE SAME TIME, THEY'RE LEARNING ABOUT OUR ANCIENT
CULTURE AND THE HISTORY THAT PEOPLE OF THE DIASPORA SPRUNG
FROM.
SURE.
AND IT'S SO IMPORTANT, RIGHT?
TO KIDS I.T.
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
TO THE CHILDREN KIND OF WHERE DID I COME FROM AND WHY IT'S SO
IMPORTANTLY FOR THEM TO KNOW THAT AND CARRY THAT WITH THEM.
ABSOLUTELY.
HERITAGE IS ALL ABOUT THE -- WHAT YOUR SYSTEM TRADITIONS ARE.
AND THE -- FOR YOUR FAMILY TRADITIONS ARE AND THE CULTURE
YOU REPEAT ON A DAILY BASIS.
THAT IS REALLY HOW IT BECOMES ENGRAINED IN OUR YOUTH.
AND THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ADULTS NOW WHO REALLY
HAVE NOT BEEN EXPOSED TO KWANZAA.
SO WE ARE ACTUALLY BRINGING SOME OF OUR ADULTS WHO MAY NOT BE AS
FAMILIAR UP TO SPEED AS WELL.
WE DO IT EVERY YEAR TO REMIND US OF THE HERITAGE, THE RITUALS AND
THE MEANINGS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT SO THAT WE CAN KEEP
OUR HISTORY AND OUR MEMORIES ALIVE.
TALK ABOUT THE COLORS, GREEN CANDLES, RED CANDLES AND THE
FLAG RED AND BLACK AN GREEN AS WELL.
IN THE MIDDLE IS SYMBOLIC OF THE PEOPLE AND THE RED CANDLES
ARE SYMBOLIC OF THE STRUGGLE AND THE GREEN IS SYMBOLIC OF THE
PROGRESS THAT WE MAKE AND WE START OFF WITH THE BLACK AND THE
RED AND WE ALTERNATE BETWEEN RED AND GREEN.
THE FIRST CANDLE TO BE LIGHTED WAS THE BLACK CANDLE IN
THE MIDDLE RIGHT?
FIRST CANNED THE IS BLACK.
AND IS THERE SOMETHING THAT FAMILIES FOLLOW, THEY LIGHT THE
CANDLE AND MIGHT READ SOMETHING?
HOW DOES THAT READ SHIRLEY?
EACH IS ASSOCIATED WITH ONE OF THE SEVEN KWANZAA PRINCIPLES.
AS WE LIGHT CANDLE WE TALK ABOUT THE PRINCIPLE WHAT IT MEANS TO
US.
THAT'S A DISCUSSION THAT'S GOING TO BE UNIQUE TO WHEREVER YOU ARE
IN THE WORLD, CELEBRATING KWANZAA.
BUT THE DISCUSSION ALSO NEEDS TO CENTER AROUND SOMETHING THAT THE
CHILDREN CAN EASILY IDENTIFY WITH.
SOMETHING THAT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING IN THEIR COMMUNITY.
AND ACTUALLY WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CULTURE ITSELF.
WE WENT THROUGH A TIME WHERE BLACK LIVES MATTER WAS SO
IMPORTANT.
DO THEY TALK ABOUT THAT?
HIFLT AND CURRENTLY, WHICH IN A LOT OF CONTEXTS IS THE SAME
THING.
ABSOLUTELY.
WE HAVE ABOUT 45 SECONDS LEFT.
TELL ME ABOUT THE MUSEUM?
THE SPADY CULTURAL MUSEUM, OUR ADDRESS IS 170 NORTHWEST
5th AVENUE.
IT IS AN HISTORIC HOME, IT IS A HOME THAT SOLOMON SPADY LIVED IN
WHEN HE CAME TO DELL REY IN THE 1920s.
HE WAS AN EDUCATOR, OUR ORGANIZATION HELPED TO CONTINUE
THAT STRUCTURE, MR.
SPADY WAS VERY INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING TO
ESTABLISH THE COMMUNITY OF DELREY BEACH, OUR MISSION IS TO
PRESERVE AND EDUCATE ABOUT THAT HISTORY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE, WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT,¦ I
LEARNED A LOT ABOUT KWANZAA AND I'M SURE THE AUDIENCE DID AS
WELL.
THE 17TH ANNUAL KWANZAA CELEBRATION WILL BE HELD
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29 AT THE SPADY CULTURAL HERITAGE MUSEUM
IN DELRAY BEACH FROM 2:30 TO 6 P.M.
ADMISSION IS FREE.
WE'LL HAVE MORE INFO ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE, @YOURSOUTHFL.