UCONN Celebrates Kwanzaa
an article by Victoria Johansen

I joined students from across the University of Connecticut campus on Friday December 3, 2004 to celebrate Kwanzaa. The African American Cultural Center and the Women’s Center sponsored the event that featured UCONN’s Voices of Freedom Gospel Choir, a ceremonial lighting of the candles by students, and guest speaker Nikki Giovanni.

Kwanzaa is an African American holiday that started in the 1960’s to reinforce values of the African culture into their society. On this day, African Americans promote unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith within their communities.

The highlight of the evening was poet, commentator, and activist Nikki Giovanni’s keynote speech as she sparked the room’s interest by discussing problems and solutions facing African American students. Giovanni’s speech covered many things from slavery to Condoleezza Rice and from Martin Luther King to NASA. The most interesting part of her address that many students could relate to was her analogy of slaves from Africa coming to the United States and their feelings of loss and fear of going to an unknown place with an unknown language to going to Mars. Any student, black or white, can understand better the treatment that slaves encountered on their voyages to America by thinking of how they would feel being packed onto a space shuttle and sent to Mars. Her charismatic and energetic speech was very motivational for many students that feel the everyday struggles of being African American.

The celebration ended with a feast of fried chicken, collard greens, and corn bread for dinner as we all talked about the marvelous speech from Giovanni and how it related to our lives. The Kwanzaa celebration had a magnificent turn out and an invigorating message. I am excited to go again next year!

For more information on Kwanzaa, go here.

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How important is community development for a culture of peace?


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On Tuesday evening, May 17, I attended a talk by a Franciscan theologian from Boston College speaking at Saint Patrick and Saint Anthony's church in Hartford. He spoke for the need of just development. I think La Paloma is an excellent example of just development in the City of Hartford.
If  CPNN ever gives awards for building the culture of peace, I think La Paloma deserves one.

This report was posted on December 4, 2004. The moderator is Joe.

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