To honor the tradition of Kwanzaa, Southern Utah University’s Black Student Union invited students to come together in celebration on Monday, Dec. 2, in the Sharwan Smith Student Center Starlight room.
Through various Kwanzaa-themed activities including board games, crossword puzzles and word searches, students explored the cultural significance of the tradition, accompanied by sandwiches catered from Jimmy John’s.
“The biggest thing (Kwanzaa) is about is unity and community. It was a celebration brought up for the African American community in America, so it’s mostly about coming together to have that sense of togetherness,” said Nia Bingham, president of the Black Student Union at SUU. “Because it’s a celebration that I feel a lot of people don’t know much about, we thought we would have a little event about it and tell them about the different days and what they stand for.”
Kwanzaa is a seven-day holiday represented by distinct principles for each day: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. Celebrations begin the day after Christmas, Dec. 26, and continue until Jan. 1.
“I really like the educational aspect of it and talking with people,” said Eden Clements, a participant at the event. “The most interesting thing I learned was that there were specific days for specific events and I think that’s pretty cool.”
On each day of the week, a special recipe is made while a specific candle is lit up. Each candle carries a symbolic meaning according to its shade. One black candle represents the people, three red candles symbolize their struggles and three green candles signify future and hope.
The Kwanzaa celebration marked BSU’s final event for the fall semester, but many more are planned, especially in February with the observation of Black History Month. Interested students can find more information on their Instagram.
Author: Fanny Felixine
Editor: Heather Turner
Copy Editor: Isaac Allen
Photo by Fanny Felixine
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