Hempstead Village Kwanzaa event teaches younger generation values, culture

The first of Kwanzaa’s seven principles galvanized around 100 Hempstead Village residents to read aloud as one in honor of their elders, cheer on one young dancer and reflect on their collective cultural history Thursday.

The Village of Hempstead’s annual Kwanzaa Celebration drew around 100 residents to Kennedy Memorial Park, where the seven lit candles of the kinara — one black for the people, three red for their struggle and three green for their hope for the future — were flanked by other traditional holiday decorations, including a mazao, or fruit basket, and a small black unity cup.

To kick off the ceremony, seven elders, each representing a principle of Kwanzaa, marched to the sound of a hand-beaten drum toward the front of a crowd.

“As African American people, it’s a way to embrace culture or history that many have lost,” Village of Hempstead Mayor Waylyn Hobbs Jr. said minutes before marching with seniors from his community. “Many of our ancestors that came here, they didn’t come here of their free will. There’s a whole history of culture that has been lost from Africa to America, so this is a way of bridging some of that tradition, and giving our young people an understanding that we come from a rich history.”

Celebrated every year from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, Kwanzaa is a secular holiday created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, a California State University professor. The seven candles are lit to recognize the holiday’s seven principles — Swahili words that in English translate to unity; self-determination; collective work and responsibility; cooperative economics; purpose; creativity; and faith.

The crowd celebrated their elders in a responsive reading. Around 100 voices thanked their elders for being “living examples of courage and perseverance.”

“We give thanks for the stories you have collected through the years,” Olita Wingate said, leading the crowd. In turn, attendees said, “By sharing your stories, you help shape ours.”

An array of speakers captured the crowd's attention Thursday evening before the kinara candles were lit and guests enjoyed chicken, mac and cheese and other eats. The Rev. Cynthia Diaz, of International House of Hope and Healing Ministries, reflected on the spirit of growth and victory in the face of adversity, and hope for the future. Her speech was occasionally interrupted by the sound of around 200 hands clapping.

“No matter how far we fall, no matter how much fear we may have of falling, still we rise,” Diaz said. “We rise as a people, we rise individually, we rise collectively. We will rise in 2025.”