By: Ed Moore III, WLJS 91.9 FM Anchor edmoorewljs@yahoo.com
Anniston, Alabama (WLJS) --- An event celebrating African heritage was held for the first time in Anniston Friday evening at the Anniston City Meeting Center.
"Kwanzaa: The Celebration," organized by Jacksonville singer and hairstylist, Dea' Love, was presented inside Room C of the multipurpose facility to bring the city the taste of a holiday sprit that continues after Christmas presents are unwrapped and before the toasting of glasses into the new year.
Kwanzaa is a seven-day holiday that was created in 1966 during the civil rights movement by California State University Africana Studies professor Dr. Maulana Karenga. According to OfficialKwanzaaWebsite.org, the week long holiday was created to "preserve, continually revitalize and promote African American culture."
Each day of Kwanzaa represents principles, all of which were discussed at the event:
Day 1: Unity
Day 2: Self-Determination
Day 3: Collective Work and Responsibility
Day 4: Cooperative Economics
Day 5: Purpose
Day 6: Creativity
Day 7: Faith
"I am doing what God told me to do," said Love' on the event. "I’m only doing [this] because God told me to be honest. For three years I was doing this out my home. I decided to share it with the public."
During the event, two speakers, Shirley Ferrill of the Birmingham Kwanzaa Committee and Anniston poet Telesa Stanford, captivated the audience through their words of why such a celebration is important.
"There was a day where being black was not a good thing." said Ferrill.
"[Black history] does not start with slavery or the Emancipation Proclamation or the swearing in of President Barack Obama. [Black history] began with the first black man and black woman. We need to look at some things that will make us a better people. To encourage the growth as members of the Kwanzaa community, this is what we do. We are taking our celebrations everywhere. I could spend all day and the next several months talking about the wondrous discoveries in Africa and in America that have been created and enveloped by black people. I invite you to make the black experience a part of your life."
During the program, Ferrill also paid a brief tribute to former South African President Nelson Mandela, who died on December 5 at the age of 95. Mandela was an anti-apartheid leader who, after being jailed for 27 years, in 1994, became the country's first black president and the first president elected through a completely democratic process.
Stanford spoke on the Willie Lynch letter, which is a speech delivered to a Virginia audience near the James River in 1712 by a man named "Willie" or "William Lynch" on how to control African slaves within the colonies.
Historians debate as to whether this was the speaker's actual name or a purported one.
The three century old speech suggested to the audience that treatment of their slaves, usually based on the shade of the slave's skin, would provide ease for control if methods of violence against the slaves was unsuccessful. According to historians, some of these "Willie Lynch" methods included allowing lighter skinned slaves to work in the house, likely to be treated better, while forcing darker skinned slaves to work in the fields.
According to text from the "Willie Lynch" speech, this method of psychological division between blacks was meant to "control the slaves for at least 300 hundred years."
"As black people, why do we cooperate with the enemy in destroying our own," said Stanford. "We must liberate our minds to begin building our families."
Attended by a diverse group of guests, the room where the celebration of the holiday was being held had been decorated with African fabric, as African souvenirs and trinkets filled the tables.
As guests walked inside the room, a table near the door greeted them with portraits of leaders who have contributed to the advancement of African-Americans, such as President Barack Obama, W.E.B. Dubois, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Oprah Winfrey, Rosa Parks, Muhammad Ali and Maya Angelou.
Jacksonville minister Randall Nunn delivered the grace for the food as guests feasted on African raisin rice, which is wheat grain rice with coconut milk, raisins and seasoning, Jamaican jerk chicken, Jamaican Curry Chicken, macaroni and cheese, corn, green beans, sweet tea and lemonade.
Veteran Anniston photographer Landon Brooks, who announced his retirement December 1, captured pictures at the celebration, making it one of his last events before his official departure from professional photography Wednesday.
Anniston City Councilman Seyram Selase, who was also present at the event, spoke to WLJS News following the program's conclusion and said he was pleased with what he saw and believes it represents the city well.
"I thought it was a great thing for the first time in Anniston," said Selase. "It's so important for Anniston, as well as cities across the country to be culturally competent. I think it shows groups of people from all backgrounds that they can come to a city that is open minded. This is an example of ordinary citizens doing extraordinary things. This definitely ties in with our 'One City, One Vision' campaign."
This report was made through WLJS News in Jacksonville, Alabama on 12/28/2013 at 6:06 P.M.
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