Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 2 December 2010 — Page 2

Page 2 • The Muncie Times • December 2, 2010

EDITORIAL

As we come to the end of the year 2010, it is time to look forward and backward. We look back to the year that has been, the year that is ending. We look at the opportunities, challenges and promises it offered. We look back at what we did and what we achieved. But we also see it as an opportunity to gave into 2011 and the opportunities and challenges that the New Year will offer us and confront us with. One of those opportunities is Kwanzaa weeklong , a non-sectarian and non-religious, nonracial celebration that runs from Dec. 26, right

after Christmas Day, and ends Jan. 1, as we usher in the New Year. Kwanzaa was started by Dr. Maulana Karenga, a Los Angeles academic and cultural nationalist. It is based on African traditions celebrating the first fruits or harvest of the season. It has a motif that honors rural traditions. Over the years, Kwanzaa has spread its global tentacles and presence and is now celebrated in the United States of America, Africa, Europe, Asia, the Caribbean and wherever people of African descent are found. Unlike Christmas,

which has been so commercialized that many children and some adults see it as an opportunity too acquire new toys, clothes and other possessions, Kwanzaa downplays gift-giving and materialism. It is more cultural and uplifting. It is about the inner person. It is about how that person sees collectivity and collective responsibility superceding individualism. Kwanzaa means taking collective or community responsibility for the raising of children , their success in life and for being each other's keeper. Kwanzaa sees people as being part of a

whole, working in concert with neighbors and the community for the common good. It means a new reality and a profoundly different way of looking at the world. The name Kwanzaa derives from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza", meaning "first fruits". The additional "a" was added to "Kwanza" so that the word would have seven letters, one for each of the Seven Principles, or Nguzu Saba. Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles. Kwanzaa revolves around celebrating the following principles, each on a separate day, starting with Umoja (unity), meaning the togetherness of people of African descent. This is followed, on the second day, by Kujichagulia (self-determination), meaning the right of black people to actively participate in shaping themselves and their communities. Next is Ujima (collective work and responsibility), which empowers people to engage in collective work and responsibility for the good and benefit of their communities. Uijamaa (cooperative economics), again emphasizes the need to work together to bring about results positively affect the economy of the collective community.

The remaining principles are Nia (purpose) meaning people must live purposeful, focused and goal-oriented lives that protect and promote our communities ;Kuumb a (creativity) means building or creating things in the arts and in other aspects of life, so as to bring about better communities; and Imani (faith). Imani embraces faith in the past, present and future of the race, It gives people a reason for living and for believing in a better tomorrow. Although Kwanzaa is geared primarily towards people of African descent, because of its non-sectarian outlook it can be celebrated by people of all races, cultures, creeds and religions. It promotes a collective identity that can be achieved by community members working together for the common. It promotes a common brotherhood/sisterhood anchored in unity, cooperation, a search for identity and fulfillment through creativity. Kwanzaa promotes values and ideas focus on the total community and total responsibility, instead of promoting rugged individualism and selfishness. From us at The Muncie Times, Happy Kwanzaa to you all.

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wish will be honored. However, the writer’s full particulars must be included in the letter along with the suggested pseudonym. •Letters must be brief, preferably no more than 300 words long and should, if possible, be typed mi double-spaced. Hand-written letters will also be accepted. •The editor reserves the right to edit all letters for brevity, accuracy, taste,

grammar and libel. •All correspondence should be addressed to: The Editor, The Muncie Times, 1304 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Muncie, IN 47303. • Unsolicited manuscripts will only be returned if the writer includes a selfaddressed, stamped envelope with correct package.

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The Muncie Times is published twice monthly at 1304 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Muncie, IN 47303. It covers the communities of Anderson, Marion, New Castle, Richmond, and Muncie. All editorial correspondence should be addressed to: The Editor, The Muncie Times, 1304 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Muncie, IN 47303. Telephone (765) 741-0037. Fax (765) 741-0040 email: themuncietimesffcomcast. net