The first celebration of Kwanzaa occurred in 1966.

Kwanzaa is a seven-day holiday, originally designed by Dr. Maulana Karenga, the chair of Black Studies at California State University at Long Beach. Dr. Karenga, having viewed the devastation caused by the 1965 riots in the Watts district of Los Angeles, decided to search for a means by which to unite and heal the African-American community, both in Los Angeles and nationwide. In the process, he founded an organization called Us, and with the help of this new cultural organization, he studied the harvest celebrations of various African cultures, looking for concepts from which a non-religious holiday could be derived, specifically geared to helping African-Americans maintain and nurture a sense of community. Dr. Karenga took and combined aspects of a number of African harvest traditions to create the Kwanzaa celebration. There are variations in the way it is celebrated, but the observances usually involve singing, dancing, telling stories and sharing a large meal in which certain traditional dishes are served. The structured observance involves lighting a candle on each of the seven days, and on each day discussing one of the seven principles. The principles, called the Nguzo Saba, are cultural values shared by many African cultures, and Karenga felt that these would be beneficial in inspiring a sense of community and empowerment among African-Americans. These principles are unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, economic cooperation, purpose, creativity and faith. Today, the Kwanzaa holiday continues to be celebrated by many throughout the U.S. and Canada.

EDSITEment
The Gift of Holiday Traditions: Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Christmas (K–12) features resources relating to winter holidays, and presents information about and activities relating to Kwanzaa, Hanukkah and Christmas.

ARTSEDGE
Musical Harlem (K–4) helps students identify musical types and learn about the musicians associated with Harlem and the Harlem Rennaisance, with a focus on jazz.

ReadWriteThink
Students begin to develop their sense of community in the classroom from an early age. The lesson Creating Class Rules: A Beginning to Creating Community (K–2) helps students participate in a discussion designed to establish goals and needs for the classroom. Their ideas are charted on two lists: "Why Are We Here?" and "What We Need." These two charts become the classroom rules, to be returned to often throughout the year as needs change.