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Black Collegian News & Views
Christmas, Kwanzaa, Both or Neither?
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msuchoir.org
Morgan State University choir stages an annual Christmas
concert. |
By Kristin Murray
Black College Wire
Most students during this time of year are preparing to head home for
the holidays. The question is, which holiday will these students
celebrate?
Many at Florida A&M University observe Christmas and Kwanzaa.
Kwanzaa, created by Maulana Ron Karenga in 1966, is a weeklong
celebration from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. The holiday highlights seven African
principles. But there is some controversy surrounding the holiday; some
students believe the holiday is fictitious.
"I used to celebrate Kwanzaa, but I had a conversation with two
African students and changed my mind," said Naajiya Dodson, a first-year
business administration student from New York. "They told me that they
didn't like the way people took items from their culture and changed
them."
Other students disagreed with Dodson's conclusion. Jasmine Furr said
she celebrates Kwanzaa and considers it a beneficial holiday for blacks
in America.
Somona Taylor, a freshman business administration student from
Orlando, said Kwanzaa will be something new for her family.
"I'm excited because my dad said our family is going to start
celebrating Kwanzaa this year," she said. "My little sister was just
born and he named her Qwanzaa."
Others are more traditional.
"I've always celebrated Christmas," said sophomore Stehson Covington,
a criminal justice student from Miami. "The thought of celebrating
Kwanzaa honestly never crossed my mind."
Some have a more basic reason: "I don't celebrate Kwanzaa because I
don't know enough about it," said Mark Ivy, a senior marketing student
from Jacksonville, Fla. He said he believes many students are uneducated
about the holiday.
Lauren Elliott said she thinks people should celebrate the two
simultaneously.
"They actually compliment each other really well," said Elliott, a
pharmacy student from Jacksonville. "The principles give a beneficial
outlook on the real world view, while Christmas gives a more spiritual
outlook."
Nictoria Frazier, a freshman business administration student from
Brooklyn, N.Y., agreed with Elliott, saying one can celebrate more than
one holiday.
"I don't believe that you have to choose," Frazier said. "It's like
mayonnaise and mustard — you can have both on your sandwich."
Some students are turned away by the commercialism associated with
the holidays. And for that reason, they do not celebrate either.
"There's no point in celebrating commercial holidays because it's
just me and my mom," said freshman Paige Casey. "I don't want her to pay
for extra stuff that I don't really need."
Christmas and Kwanzaa are not the only holidays this season. The
eight-day Jewish holiday of Hanukah, which celebrates the rededication
of the Temple in Jerusalem after the victory of the Maccabees over the
Syrian army, begins Dec. 16.
Kristin Murray a student at Florida A&M
University, writes for the Famuan.
Posted Dec. 11, 2006 |
