Ellington

The ASUW Black Student Commissioner Keisha Credit welcomed everyone in the Walker Ames Room of Kane Hall last night with “joyous Kwanzaa,” a greeting setting the mood for the rest of the festivities.

The Black Student Commission (BSC) hosted the Annual Kwanzaa Celebration with the help of the Black Student Union (BSU) last night to celebrate the upcoming holiday, which included dinner, music and dance.

“Kwanzaa really celebrates the African-American culture,” BSU President Jonathan Winn said. Winn hoped that people who aren’t familiar with Kwanzaa would take away the principle of it and an “understanding of the African-American community and what we stand for.”

Due to the history of their ancestors being displaced, Winn believes that there is a misconception that African-Americans do not have a cultural holiday, but says Kwanzaa is “really a celebration that African-American people came up with and it celebrates our values.” Winn said the holiday is a way of “making a culture for ourselves.”

Every year the BSC hosts the event with the help of the BSU. Unlike previous years, this year there was an African dance team that performed at the celebration and an African drummer that accompanied the whole event.

Winn said the addition of the traditional African dance ensemble and drums is a “wonderful celebration of the history of African-American people … paying respect to the past and the present.”

Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration that is observed from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. The holiday was first celebrated in 1966. Each of the seven days represent a principle of Kwanzaa: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.

The celebration commemorated these seven principles: Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity) and Imani (faith). Each table was designated a principle, and those around the table discussed this particular principle over dinner, which was classic southern soul food.

“Everybody here is so receptive to the spirit [of Kwanzaa] … which is just about being there for each other,” UW Junior and BSU Senator Tracy Hansen-Lamont said. Hansen-Lamont volunteered to play his African drums at the event.

While Jo-Nathan Thomas, the Academic Advisor-Lead of the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity (OMAD), was honored during the ceremony for his contributions to the community, the biggest news of the night was revealed: The UW had finally approved a study abroad trip to Ghana.

“We got the early word,” Thomas excitedly said about the approval. The trip will be a joint program through the OMAD, the School of Social Work and the International Exchange Program (IEP).

For Credit, the event was not only a celebration of Kwanzaa, but also a celebration of unity for all students.

“It’s important for us to bring the entire community together, not just the black students,” she said.

Reach reporter Rebecca Lee at news@dailyuw.com.