One holiday tradition my mom always wanted to do with us but never did is celebrate Kwanzaa. She did educate me on what it is and what everything means, but we never got around to ever doing it. But now that I’m starting my own family, I wanted to do celebrate this year (even if Baby won’t be around to see it.) That way we’ll be ready to celebrate it the way we should when Baby is bigger.
So, for 2020 I decided to celebrate Kwanzaa through literature. I’ll be listing the principles for each day along with a book that matches the principles. If you can think of other titles that match the principles, tell me, I’d love to discuss.
Day 5 is Nia. It means Purpose. The process is much of the same, light the previous candles, and then light the green one that is next to the Black candle. The person who lights it then makes a statement about Purpose. I’ve read that this means to commit ourselves to restoring families, and our people to their historical greatness. For me, my statement would be us welcoming our new Baby into the world and building our family. This isn’t the ideal time with Covid and all, but we’re making it. Right now hubs and I both have jobs we love, a house we adore, and two fur babies we love as well. We are using this time to strengthen the Shaw household, and we can’t wait to see what Baby has in store for us!
The book I thought about first when thinking of families in the Black Community was:
I thought of this book because not only does it depict a family, but it features a fractured family. Not every book (and not every family) is going to be ideal, but they’re yours. Be thankful for what you do have. (Unless they’re toxic. Then be like Elsa and just LET IT GOOOOOO!)
What about you? What books do you think of when you think of Nia or Purpose? Do you think of this one as well? Let me know in the comments!