CELEBRATING
Bonnie Lash Freeman explains the meaning behind the holiday
By Carla Slavey
There are those who still remember the turbulent 1960s – the March on Washington from which Martin Luther King , Jr .’ s “ I Have a Dream ” speech came from took place in 1963 . The Jim Crow laws , which enforced “ separate but equal ” facilities between the races , was recognized up until 1965 . And despite forward momentum , the Black community faced systemic economic and social depression that led to riot across 100 cities across the United States .
In 1966 , as a way to to celebrate African and African American culture , Dr . Maulana Karenga founded a holiday that honors traditions and family .
The seven-day holiday is not tied to religion or spirituality , as most of it ’ s neighboring December holidays are ( Christmas , Hanukkah , Solstice and the like ). As such , some African Americans choose to celebrate the customs of Kwanzaa in conjunction with their chosen spiritual holidays .
“ Our family does Christmas and Kwanzaa ,” explained Bonnie Lash Freeman . “ Christmas is of course the 25th and Kwanzaa begins on the 26th of December . It ’ s not a substitute for Christmas , it is an additional holiday .”
Freeman currently lives in California , but once lived in Louisville and served on Kentucky state boards with notable Somerset residents Elaine Wilson and Hilma Prather . As such , Freeman said she is well acquainted with the Somerset area .
She is also well acquainted with the customs of Kwanzaa , noting that the word itself means “ first harvest ” or “ first fruits .”
The celebration does not originate from any one singular African country . Rather , it takes customs from several of the African cultures found throughout the continent .
“ It is a celebration of heritage for African Americans . That ’ s how it was created , to always lift up the heritage of that . And the reason it came that time of year is in Africa there ’ s a first harvest , so you ’ ll see in the items and the rituals of the holiday the whole idea of ‘ harvest ’ and ‘ first ’ and ‘ giving ’ and ‘ sharing within the community .’”
The colors red and green take symbolic meaning in the items and ceremonies surrounding Kwanzaa . Freeman points out that those colors show up in several different flags of the countries in Africa , and they are not indicative of any one flag in particular .
“ Red is for the blood of the people and green is for the life of the people ,” Freeman said .
The colors show up in the Kinara , the seven-pronged candle holder which holds candles to be lit for each of the seven days of the celebration . Similar to
32 • SEKY - Life in Southeast Kentucky november 2022