Knight Ridder Newspapers

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Kwanzaa, the seven-day cultural celebration for people of African descent that began Monday, has come a long way since California activists created it nearly 40 years ago in the aftermath of the Watts riots in Los Angeles.

“Like most holidays, Kwanzaa is now part of the American landscape,” said Bill Jeter, a Twin Cities artist and teacher.

Indeed, Kwanzaa is so mainstream that it has been featured on a U.S. postage stamp. Counselors use its “Nguzo Saba” – Swahili for “Seven Principles” – in treatment programs, and Kwanzaa “rite of passage” programs for young girls are fairly common.

In short, two generations of African-Americans have grown up with Kwanzaa as a familiar part of their cultural and social lives.

“You can go to Target and buy something for Kwanzaa,” Jeter said, suggesting that you can’t get much more mainstream than that.

Even so, Kwanzaa remains a celebration particularly fashioned for quiet contemplation by black families and small African-American communities, said Mahmoud El-Kati, a retired Macalester College history professor.

Many people, El-Kati said, observe Kwanzaa in the home, gathering daily to light a candle and discuss the principle of the day.

“Culture and community are the themes, and the emphasis is on children, teaching them fundamental lessons,” El-Kati said. “The thing to remember is that Kwanzaa is not religious, not competing with Christmas, not heroic, not commercial.”

It’s also not centrally organized, though the California Web site, www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org, established by its principal founder, Maulana Karenga, offers suggestions for observing the seven principles that correspond to the seven days of the celebration.

“There isn’t one big clearinghouse locally for all the events,” said Beverly Cottman, a retired Minneapolis biology teacher who has started a second career as a storyteller of African tales that often illustrate Kwanzaa principles.

“There used to be a time several years ago when somebody gathered all the information where various celebrations would be held and published it,” Cottman said. “Now there’s no central list.”

In fact, it’s not clear how many African-Americans observe Kwanzaa, El-Kati said.

“The important thing is that significant numbers within the black community have embraced it. It’s become part of their environment, of the cultural community,” he said.

“It’s an important thing that goes on all year long,” Cottman said. “It’s nice that once a year, I get to focus on it and tell other people about it.

“But many times during my daily life, I consciously behave in a way that I think is carrying out the principles of Kwanzaa,” Cottman added. “It’s a way to live your life as a part of the community.