Since the creation of Kwanzaa in the 1960s, the weeklong event has established itself as an annual celebration of community enrichment. Families are invited to “Celebrate Kwanzaa” Dec. 28, 6-8:30 p.m. at the Rudisill Regional Library, 1520 N. Hartford. This event is sponsored by the Tulsa City-County Library’s African-American Resource Center. Join African-American dancers and drummers to celebrate the harvest and the beginning of a successful year featuring Chief Amusan Egunwale and the African dance troop. Spoken word artists include Phetote M’shairi, Justin Daniels, Sterling Matthews, and performances by students from the Langston Academy Charter School and Tulsa Legacy Charter School. Audience members are invited to showcase their talents for music, singing, dancing, and spoken word during the “Mamanem” segment. “It is important to celebrate our African ancestral heritage with our children, so that important lessons from the past translate to today. During Kwanzaa, we celebrate the New Year, honor our ancestors and light candles in memory of the ones who went before,” said Alicia Latimer, Tulsa City-County Library’s African-American Resource Center coordinator. “Each child receives a book at the program, an important reminder of the value of the written word. The elders speak of wisdom and the children recite aloud, all for the benefit of the community. In today’s troubling racial climate, Kwanzaa is a reminder that it really does take an entire village to raise a child. All members of the community are welcome to enjoy this yearly family oriented harvest ceremony.” The seven principles of Kwanzaa are: Umoja (unity) – Maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race. Kujichagulia (self-determination) – Define, name, create and speak for ourselves. Ujima (collective work and responsibility) – Build and maintain community together and solve problems as a group. Ujamaa (cooperative economics) – Build and maintain stores and shops, and profit from them together. Nia (purpose) – Make building the community a collective vocation. Kuumba (creativity) – Do as much as possible to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than before. Imani (faith) – Believe in our people, parents, teachers and leaders. For more information on Tulsa City-County Library programming, call the AskUs Hotline, 918-549-7323, or visit the library’s webpage, www.tulsalibrary.org. # # #