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Are you in the Pittsburgh area (reference to "Steeler Nation" on your posts)?
If so, you would be able to attend some Kwanzaa celebrations. They really are pretty nice and fun.
I know white people who aren't all that put off by black cultural events/activities and they have attended Kwanzaa and not forgotten about it. A good friend of mine was encouraged to learn African dance due to one of the events she went to. The dancing and drumming at all the events I go to are always a highlight.
Yes about 15 miles east of the city. I think Kwanzaa is over shadowed by Christmas, and I really have no desire to attend any events, hell, I barely recognize Christmas.
Look, what does Karenga's record have to do with anything? Whites don't participate in the cultural lives of black folks anyway, so what's the big deal? You said yourself that it's not hurting anyone, so if that's the case, you (and others) would do good to leave well enough alone.
If you guys wanna start playing the "so and so was founded by a criminal" game, I can play that game too. And I've got a lot more on white folks than white folks have on black folks in that regard.
So let it be.
You don't get to decide the topic and tone of conversation here. It's clear that that pains you, but you're just shouting to a room of people carrying on their conversation in spite of you.
It's your choice to champion a felon because his criminal history is "no big deal" to you and because he's your favorite color. It's the choice of others to not do the same. This conversation was borne of interest in the history of the holiday. *You* as usual chose to get insecure and make it a personal thing. That's on you, not others.
Kwanzaa's creator is a controversial character that I don't care for. But if the tradition itself is something that black families enjoy, let it rip, I say.
I'm much more bothered by the unfair obscurity of Juneteenth. Now that to me is a day that deserves much more consideration and celebration than it currently gets.
There should be more notoriety for Juneteenth. Part of me feels like it will get alot of hate. On the other hand, it needs to be celebrated anyway. I am all for Juneteenth. That is a celebration of freedom.
There should be more notoriety for Juneteenth. Part of me feels like it will get alot of hate. On the other hand, it needs to be celebrated anyway.
I'm ethnically Hawaiian - one of those micro-minorities nobody hears too much about. We've historically dealt with our own share of abuse, slavery, stolen lands, mistreatment, and ongoing prejudice. We have our own holiday - May Day - which I was thrilled to see actually included (even if only in brief) in public school in San Francisco while growing up.
But I never knew anything about Juneteenth until I moved to Texas. And I think that sucks. I understand that it's more significant a date here in Texas than nationwide, but like May Day and even MORE so, I believe it should hold a much more significant presence in public education nationwide. In fact, I wish Emancipation had a federal holiday of its own. It should.
I grew up in majority-African American Washington, DC in the 1970s. Happy Kwanzaa greetings were (and still are) on the local TV stations and sometimes posted in classrooms.
Yet I have never met anyone who even mentions it. I have asked numerous African Americans about it and always get the same reaction- rolled eyes. They celebrate Christmas.
One exception was a friend in NY. I asked about Kwanzaa and received a Kwanzaa card the next day. I thought it nice and it seemed based on universal values that anyone could get behind.
In sum, I do not see it as anything to get upset about. It has never really taken off yet refuses to fade away. It it makes you happy, cool.
I live in Ohio and we have a Juneteenth celebration. I had never heard of it until I was older and became a voracious reader of all things "black history." We never had Juneteenth celebrations where I'm from until the past 10 years or so.
i guess it's catching on, i never saw it outside of texas. juneteenth makes far more sense as a legitimate holiday IMHO>
See? Despite the discomfort of *some* posters in this conversation taking place, some eye-opening learning is coming from it. That's always a good thing.
There ought to be a push for more exposure of Juneteenth. It deserves nationwide respect. It's a huge part of American history.
Yes about 15 miles east of the city. I think Kwanzaa is over shadowed by Christmas, and I really have no desire to attend any events, hell, I barely recognize Christmas.
You'd probably enjoy a Kwanzaa event if you went. They are not some sort of scary black thing. There is dancing and some nice speeches and things you can buy. I collect various objects and love black art in particular and can always find something nice at the market place/vendor area at Kwanzaa events. Really it is just a series of themed festivals.
All religions and damn near every holiday with the exception of Independence Day is "made up."
I agree with this, in the same sense that all language, all names for things and people, all social conventions, etc. are all made up as well.
I mean, morphologically modern humans have existed for, arguably, 140K years, but it's only in the past 12K years that we've had things like civilization, widespread language, codified law, rigorously-defined religion, etc. And you can go back much further than 140K years. At some point we're all descended from the same amphibious tetrapods (by "all" I mean modern-day birds and mammals).
Everything is made up.
Last edited by Nepenthe; 12-14-2016 at 11:44 AM..
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