President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris celebrated Kwanzaa with their families in a pair of social media posts on Monday, beginning the weeklong holiday that honors black heritage.
Kwanzaa, which is celebrated from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 every year, honors seven principles: Unity (umoja), self-determination (kujichagulia), collective responsibility (ujima), cooperative economics (ujamaa), purpose (nia), creativity (kuumba), and faith (imani). Each day, participants light a kinara candle for each of the principles.
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“Jill and I wish everyone a happy Kwanzaa,” Biden said in the minute-long Twitter video. “We give thanks to the rich heritage of African Americans, which is deep in the story of our nation. In 2023, it’s our hope that we’ll all remember the wisdom of the seven principles of Kwanzaa, especially the values of unity and faith, as we work to make the promise of our nation real in the lives of every American.”
The Kwanzaa holiday was established in 1966 by Maulana Karenga and culminates in a feast called Karamu that usually occurs on the sixth day. It is based on African first fruit celebrations.
Harris, who is the country’s first black vice president, reflected on her own memories of celebrating the holiday in a separate video with her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff.
“Growing up, Kwanzaa was always a special time. We came together with generations of friends and family and neighbors,” Harris said. “There were never enough chairs, so my sister and I and the other children would often sit on the floor, and together we lit the candles of the kinara, and then the elders would talk about how Kwanzaa is a time to celebrate culture, community, and family, and they, of course, taught us about the seven principles.”
Harris added that her favorite principle was the second one of self-determination, which she claimed guides her as the vice president every day.
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The first day of Kwanzaa coincided with the last day of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, which was also celebrated by the White House. Emhoff is the first Jewish spouse of the vice president and has played an important role in the Biden administration’s condemnation of the rising antisemitic rhetoric the United States has seen in recent months. One such example includes Emhoff hosting an antisemitic roundtable discussion earlier this month.
