I’m looking for great photos of 2007 Kwanzaa celebrations across the nation or a cross the world to post on my website and I’m giving away 10 free copies of my book, “Kwanzaa: From Holiday to Every Day” to those who send the 10 photos selected. Send photos of your family, campus or group celebration to info@kwanzaabook.com . This giveaway celebrates the launch of a year-long Seven Principles awareness and accomplishment initiative. See the announcement below for details:
ACT on Principle to take Kwanzaa from Holiday to Every Day
Greetings and an invitation to you from Maitefa Angaza. As I write this, my book “Kwanzaa: From Holiday to Every Day” remains the No.1 nonfiction Kwanzaa title on amazon.com . This was achieved with the help of community members who responded in the spirit of Umoja (Unity) and Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) to my mid-December e-campaign. This inspiring experience helped me to fulfill a promise to adopt my book’s title as a challenge for 2008 and to involve interested readers of like mind. I’ve come up with a simple format that I think can work. It’s called, ACT on Principle (Acknowledge, Collaborate, Transform).
This initiative brings people together to explore strategies for living the Nguzo Saba (Seven Principles) year-round. Individuals who live in a common locale will gather for discussion, collaboration and support. We’ll focus on each of the Seven Principles for seven weeks. The 49-week period begins on January 14th with Umoja and ends December 22nd after Imani. Groups will meet seven times throughout the year for discussion around each principle (or more often if they choose to work on projects or socialize). My book will be a foundational resource, but other books or segments of texts will be suggested, along with films to watch. The decision to take these suggestions or to substitute other materials will be at the discretion of each group.
A group can consist of friends, colleagues, students, organization members or people meeting for the first time. These groups will register as part of the network by contacting me at info@kwanzaabook.com. This applies also to individuals seeking to locate and work with others in their area. There is no fee required and your e-mail address will not be shared with anyone without your permission. I’ll extend invitations to post group photos on this site and a website dedicated to the year-round initiative may be developed as a way to share information and ideas, support one another’s businesses, organize and send out action alerts and good news.
A few suggestions: Group coordinating should be handled by one person or shared between two, for consistent communication. If you form a group, don’t feel obligated to serve as coordinator if someone with more time is willing to fill that role. Also, at an Imani-day discussion I was pleasantly surprised to see a number of children and very impressed by their input. Let’s explore ways to include our children at times (how often would be the group’s decision) and plan fun dialogue/activity sessions expressly for them as well.
Information on the ACT acronym will be shared with groups, as will suggested discussion guidelines. If you’re excited about helping to launch what may be a history-making initiative, start now with Umoja. Many of you will view this invitation after Jan. 14th, but you can join the conversation by organizing a meeting within the next few weeks. I look forward to hearing from you and to having fun progressing together this year.
Maitefa Angaza |