Today marks the first day of Kwanzaa, a week-long celebration for black Americans “to celebrate themselves and history” in the United States. Ironically, while many are familiar with the rich heritage and history of black Americans, few know anything about the horrifying and ridiculous heritage of Kwanzaa.
Kwanzaa began in 1966 when Los Angeles City College professor of Africana Studies, Ronald Everett, later re-styled Maulana Ndabezitha Karenga, launched an atheistic holiday specifically for black Americans. He derived the name from the Swahili phrase “matunda y kwanza,” which means “first fruits of the harvest.” Ironically, it is unlikely that any of the West African slaves transported to the Americas would have understood the East African phrase.
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