Kwanzaa Korner

A Virtual Experience

December 26, 2025 - January 1, 2026

Art transforms lives—and so does Hammonds House Museum. We invite you to explore a place where creativity, culture, and community unite in exciting and meaningful ways!

KWANZAA is a week-long celebration held in the United States and in other nations of the West African diaspora in the Americas. The celebration honors African heritage in African-American culture, and is observed from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a feast and gift-giving. It was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor of Africana Studies.

During the week of Kwanzaa, families and communities come together to share a feast, to honor the ancestors, affirm the bonds between them, and to celebrate African and African American culture. Each day they light a candle to highlight the principle of that day and to breathe meaning into the principles with various activities, such as reciting the sayings or writings of great black thinkers and writers, reciting original poetry, African drumming, and sharing a meal of African diaspora-inspired foods. The table is decorated with the essential symbols of Kwanzaa, such as the Kinara (Candle Holder), Mkeka (Mat), Muhindi (corn to represent the children), Mazao (fruit to represent the harvest), and Zawadi (gifts). One might also see the colors of the Pan-African flag, red (the struggle), black (the people), and green (the future), represented throughout the space and in the clothing worn by participants. These colors were first proclaimed to be the colors for all people of the African diaspora by Marcus Garvey.

ACTIVITY: On each day of Kwanzaa, light a candle for that day’s principle on your candleholder (Kinara).

About Kwanzaa

Seven Principles of Kwanzaa

Day 2 - December 27 - KUJICHAGULIA (SELF-DETERMINATION)

  • KUJICHAGULIA (SELF-DETERMINATION): To define and name ourselves, as well as to create and speak for ourselves.

  • Song for reflection: OPTIMISTIC, Sounds Of Blackness

  • Thought for the Day: “To counter the fixation on a rhetoric of victimhood, black folks must engage in a discourse of self-determination.” - Bell Hooks

  • Today's Recipe: Chef Empress Jah’s “Haitian Legume - Vegetable Stew”

  • Activity for the Day: Trace your hand and write down words inside your hand tracing that describes you. They can be any words that describe everything about the makings of you. Write them in any way you want. BOLD, lower case, cursive, BIG, small, word cutouts from magazines, etc. After you have written as many words as you can come up with about yourself, meditate and say a prayer over all of those things and that they will serve you with GREATNESS.

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    Tag us (IG: @hammondshouse | FB: @HammondsHouseMuseum).during network of mentorship, activism, and innovation, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire artistic and communal excellence.

Day 1 - December 26 - UMOJA (UNITY)

Activity for the Day: Create a picture of your own interpretation of UNITY. Use any materials you desire: construction paper, crayons, color pencils, paint, collage cutouts, stencils, etc. After you have created your picture, share the contents of it with your family members, friends, significant others, etc. Tell the story of what’s in your picture and why you chose to include that. How is UNITY represented in your photo? Have your family members, friends, significant other, etc. share with you their creation and explanation behind it.excellence. Experience an insider’s look at Rhoden’s creative journey, his impact on contemporary sculpture, and the community-driven dialogue fostered by this unprecedented garden.