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Nativity scenes made of real straw. Wise Men 2 feet tall. Menorahs bigger than a human being.   Holiday display in Teaneck. In many North Jersey municipalities, those sacred symbols can be found at the same place people get dog licenses, pay taxes and apply for building permits — town hall.  The display of religious items on public property has long been a charged discussion in American communities, and the case law governing holiday displays is still murky enough to confound local governments trying to create a festive atmosphere for residents.* Fair Lawn for years just lit a holiday tree....

Blacks Have Been Conned About Kwanzaa! Don Boys, Ph.D. Let me state the obvious: If Blacks (or anyone else) want to celebrate Kwanzaa that is their right; however, it is my right to set the record straight. Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday, nor is it a traditional “African thing.” Moreover, it is grounded in violence, corruption, and deceit. Furthermore, it has an admitted humanist foundation, so professing Christians should not go near the thing. Neither should black Americans! Yes, I know the U.S. Postal service issued a stamp honoring Kwanzaa but that only proves how shallow and stupid the...

WAUWATOSA, Wis. -- A brawl at the Mayfair Mall is causing people to raise questions about the ongoing security problems at the shopping center. Mall administrators have not commented on the incident. Police said that a fight broke out between two men outside the mall’s Wet Seal store on Friday. After some initial brawling, the fight spilled into the store and as many as eight more people joined the fray. Police said that the battle turned the store into a mess and all the combatants scattered. Mall surveillance cameras helped capture three of the people who allegedly took part; they...

UPDATE - Obatma is spending the first day of Kwanzaa with the Obama family! Obatma, Obama’s half-bat half-brother, arrived yesterday in Honolulu to spend time with his newfound family. He was wearing a scarf bearing the pan-African colors of red, black and green, and carrying one of the Kwanzaa candles. President-Elect Barack Obama briefly spoke to a small group of journalists a few blocks from his home, stating, “While our main celebration is Christmas, we were more than happy to join my brother in honoring his first Kwanzaa in these United States.”

MY TRIUMPH OVER KWANZAA!December 24, 2008 Is it just me, or does Kwanzaa seem to come earlier and earlier each year? This year, I believe my triumph over this synthetic holiday is nearly complete. The only mentions of Kwanzaa I've seen are humorous ones. Most important, for the first time in eight years, President George Bush appears not to have issued "Kwanzaa greetings" to honor this phony non-Christian holiday that is younger than I am. It is a fact that Kwanzaa was invented in 1966 by a black radical FBI stooge, Ron Karenga, aka Dr. Maulana Karenga. Karenga was a...

Each year, with the onset of Christmas, we are treated to another gauzy, fluff piece about how great Kwanzaa is by yet another PC spewing newspaper columnist. This year, among many others, we find aggrandizement such as the Progressive's "Kwanzaa is more relevant than ever in recession," the Chattanooga Times Free Press with their titled, "Common ground," or the one from the Providence Journal headlined, "Christmas, Kwanzaa and Hanukkah brighten even the darkest season of the year." Several years ago, the Houston Chronicle got in the act with a piece by Leslie Casimir titled "Learning about Kwanzaa from the...

I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS FROSTY THE SNOWMAN LET IT SNOW I SAW MOMMY KISSING SANTA CLAUS OBAMA'S 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS UP ON THE HOUSETOP SILVER BELLS RUDOLPH BARNEY FRANK - DANCE OF THE SUGAR PLUM FAERIE WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS LITTLE DRUMMER BOY AL GORE'S GLOBAL WARMING WONDERLAND DECK THE HALLS FELIZ NAVIDAD - The Police Nailed Rod PARADE OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN I'M DREAMING OF A WHITE KWANZAA

Lubna Muhammad has celebrated Kwanzaa for more than 30 years. "Kwanzaa is more than a holiday--[it's] a culture that should be applied to everyday life," says Muhammad, owner of Top Shelf Plus in Newark, N.J. Muhammad says she began observing Kwanzaa because she felt its core message spoke to both her culture and spirit. "When you go to work, you need umoja every day--that's unity. You need unity with your coworkers," she says. Muhammad isn't alone. More than 30 million people in America celebrate Kwanzaa, according to a spokesperson from the African American Cultural Center. Kwanzaa, which means "first fruits...

Last Edited: Saturday, 13 Dec 2008, 9:35 PM CST Created: Saturday, 13 Dec 2008, 7:10 PM CST Police were called out to Fair Park in Dallas Saturday after someone fired a gun into the crowd at Kwanzaa Fest. Soon after the shooting the crowds started to get out of hand. Witnesses describe the scene as a riot. Several people were yelling at officers while others were reportedly throwing rocks at them. Dallas police say around 3:30 p.m. a 15-year old boy shot. It's not clear whether he was involved in a crime or he was an innocent victim. Police were...

If you utilize Google to research the origination of Kwanzaa, you will be hard pressed to find any information as to the background of Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga the torturer who started the movement.

Kwanzaa was invented in 1966 by a black radical FBI stooge, Ron Karenga, aka Dr. Maulana Karenga. Karenga was a founder of United Slaves, a violent nationalist rival to the Black Panthers and a dupe of the FBI. In what was probably ultimately a foolish gamble, during the madness of the '60s the FBI encouraged the most extreme black nationalist organizations in order to discredit and split the left. The more preposterous the organization, the better. Using that criterion, Karenga's United Slaves was perfect. In the annals of the American '60s, Karenga was the Father Gapon, stooge of the czarist...

KWANZAA: HOLIDAY FROM THE FBIJanuary 2, 2008 (NOTE: This is an updated version of a column by Ann Coulter that first ran several years ago in December.) Is it just me, or does Kwanzaa seem to come earlier and earlier each year? The same goes for the Iowa caucuses -- the early scheduling of which forced me to run an attack on a synthetic candidate, rather than a synthetic holiday, last week. I've seen so few mentions of Kwanzaa this year, I was going to declare my campaign a success, but I see that President Bush issued another absurd Kwanzaa...

Kwanzaa itself is a lunatic blend of schmaltzy '60s rhetoric, black racism and Marxism. Indeed, the seven "principles" of Kwanzaa praise collectivism in every possible arena of life -- economics, work, personality, even litter removal. ("Kuumba: Everyone should strive to improve the community and make it more beautiful.") It takes a village to raise a police snitch. When Karenga was asked to distinguish Kawaida, the philosophy underlying Kwanzaa, from "classical Marxism," he essentially explained that under Kawaida, we also hate whites. While taking the "best of early Chinese and Cuban socialism" -- which one assumes would exclude the forced abortions,...

NOTE: as I have traditionally done, Christmas songs telling the news of the day will only be the secular songs. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2007 DFU CHRISTMAS PARODIES: OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODSIT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMASPARADE OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERSI SAW MOMMY KISSING SANTA CLAUS GRANDMA GOT RUN OVER BY A REINDEER RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER CHIPMUNK CHRISTMAS SONG LET IT SNOW DECK THE HALLS I'M GETTIN' NUTHIN' FOR CHRISTMAS WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN UP ON THE HOUSETOP SLEIGH RIDE TOGETHER WINTER WONDERLAND ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS...

BLACKS IN AMERICA have suffered an endless series of insults and degradations, the latest of which goes by the name of Kwanzaa. Ron Karenga (aka Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga) invented the seven-day feast (Dec. 26-Jan. 1) in 1966, branding it a black alternative to Christmas. The idea was to celebrate the end of what he considered the Christmas-season exploitation of African Americans. ...

A proposed Kwanzaa celebration at the County Commission chambers caused an e-mail war among Shelby County employees earlier this week. Now it has also prompted a lawsuit. Probate Court Clerk Chris Thomas filed a complaint in Chancery Court Friday to block the Kwanzaa celebration set to be hosted by County Commissioner Henri Brooks on Dec. 26. “The reason I filed the lawsuit is because of the discrimination against Christians, Jews and other faiths by allowing the Kwanzaa celebration to happen and by not allowing us to have a ceremony,” Thomas said. “I’ve asked Mayor (A C) Wharton to stop it...

SPOKANE, Wash. - They made a list, but they should have checked it twice. In a December newsletter to the families of elementary school students, Spokane Public Schools' list of "important dates" didn't include Christmas. Hanukkah, Human Rights Day, winter break, the Islamic holy day Eid al-Adha, first day of winter and Kwanzaa all made the list. But no Christmas. "It was absolutely an error of omission," district spokeswoman Terren Roloff said. "In our efforts to be inclusive, we missed the obvious." The omission drew complaints from some parents that in an age of political correctness, Christians are being overlooked...

Shot in Boston, with a cast of 42, it's a wonderful Kwanzaa December 16, 2007 While the Christmas film has been a staple of American cinema since George Bailey discovered it's a wonderful life, the African-American holiday of Kwanzaa, observed from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 each year, has been around for only about 40 years, and the cinematic pickings are much slimmer. That's why a Boston-based independent filmmaker believes he's breaking new ground with his movie. "Kwanzaa with the Jones's" will have its premiere Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline. The film is the...

Each year, with the onset of Christmas, we are treated to another gauzy, fluff piece about how great Kwanzaa is by yet another PC spewing newspaper columnist. This year, among many others, the Houston Chronicle gets in the act with a piece by Leslie Casimir titled "Learning about Kwanzaa from the holiday's creator." This one, though, is a bit off the usual track of the how-great-Kwanzaa-is theme because this particular piece celebrates the inventor of the faux holiday, Maulana Karenga, himself. So, we've gone from merely celebrating this manufactured holiday to making a hero of the rapist, race monger...

I know I know, I must either be racist or insensitive or automatically both in the eyes of all liberals or the liberal inclined when I say this but I find it totally interesting that I am now living in South Africa and find NOTHING showing their attention to Dr. Maulana Karenga's Kwanzaa INVENTION. I have asked about it I get snickers and many 'deer-in-the-headlight' looks. Christmas is the order of the day during the holiday season. It is celebrated in the same way however even though the government of this country is in many ways corrupt the schools are...

BANGOR - The Bangor chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has canceled this year's Kwanzaa celebration after a 75-year-old man allegedly threatened to shoot chapter members. "It has been very scary," said chapter President Joseph Perry of Searsport. Kendrick Sawyer was named early this month in a civil complaint filed by the hate crimes division of the state attorney general's office. According to court documents, Sawyer apparently made statements to his doctor at the Togus VA Medical Center that he was "going to shoot any and all black persons that he saw attending a meeting...

EDITORIAL - For you religio-centric clods who haven’t yet expanded your celebratory horizons – and you know who you are – I bring a message of tolerance and inclusiveness: December 26 marked the start of Kwanzaa. As some know, this High Holy Week saw its birth 482 moons in the distant past, which means about forty years ago. It was founded by the Great Prophet, Maulana Karenga, who was born in the cradle of religion itself, Maryland. Like many deeply spiritual men, Karenga came from humble origins, christened Ron N. Everett and raised on a poultry farm. Perhaps it was...

I love Ann Coulter. And now that Ann Coulter has dissed the so-called African-American holiday called Kwanzaa, calling it "a lunatic blend of schmaltzy '60s rhetoric, black racism and Marxism," I love Ann Coulter all the more for being a white woman bold enough to diss a Kwanzaa celebration in a manner that I always thought but dare not spoke of. I get the Kwanzaa cards in the mail around Christmastime and never appreciate the attention they take away from the birth of Jesus. Kwanzaa supporters will say it's all complimentary, but like Ann Coulter writes, I believe we've been...

Forty years after its creation by a California professor, Kwanzaa got its first citywide celebration in Madison on Saturday amid conga drumming, dance, rap and poignant remembrances of deceased African Americans including "Godfather of Soul" James Brown and popular local television anchorman Mike McKinney. "There is purity in our hearts as we call on those who have gone before us to come into our midst as we celebrate this Kwanzaa event," organizer Godwin Amegashie told the gathering of about 250 people at Olbrich Botanical Gardens on the East Side. The names of dozens of recently deceased ancestors were read before...

We hear a lot these days about a divided nation. So I began wondering this week why our nation has begun to embrace a relatively new celebration known as Kwanzaa, which is not as innocent as it appears on the surface. Launched in 1966, Kwanzaa is celebrated for seven days, beginning Dec. 26. The weeklong festival was introduced by Ron Karenga (aka Ron Everett), a black author and Marxist devotee, who has a very dubious history. Mr. Karenga's Marxist roots should be a warning signal right off the bat, but there's more to be concerned about here. In 1969, on...

Kwanzaa -- the holiday began in 1967 by Marxist Ron Karenga, who would later serve time for felony assault for viciously torturing two women, then become chairman of the black studies department at California State University, Long Beach -- is this week. Do you know anybody who celebrates it? Yes No. I think more people celebrate Festivus.

Kwanzaa: Holiday From the FBIby Ann Coulter Human Events Posted Dec 27, 2006 President Bush's Kwanzaa message this year skipped the patently absurd claim of years past that: "African-Americans and people around the world reflect on African heritage during Kwanzaa." Instead, he simply said: "I send greetings to those observing Kwanzaa." More African-Americans spent this season reflecting on the birth of Christ than some phony non-Christian holiday invented a few decades ago by an FBI stooge. Kwanzaa is a holiday for white liberals, not blacks. It is a fact that Kwanzaa was invented in 1966 by a black radical FBI...

A mere 1.6 percent of Americans observe it, and it's been criticized as separatist and contrived, but Kwanzaa may be the perfect holiday for all Americans to rally around. So "Habari Gani!" Today is the third day of Kwanzaa. If you just took a second glance at my picture and decided "she's playing," I assure you I am not. Maulana Karenga, the college professor who founded Kwanzaa 40 years ago to encourage black Americans to reconnect with their African heritage, says all are welcome at the table. And why not? Africa, scientists say, is the motherland of us all. Christmas...

Kwanzaa -- the holiday began in 1967 by Marxist Ron Karenga, who would later serve time for felony assault for viciously torturing two women, then become chairman of the black studies department at California State University, Long Beach -- is this week. Do you know anybody who celebrates it? Yes No. I think more people celebrate Festivus.

Pauline Foster's advice to her 11-year-old daughter, Nanyamka Graham, was simple: Shake it and smile. The two Lauderhill residents were part of the nearly 100 performers at the Kwanzaa celebration at Broward County's Main Library in Fort Lauderdale Tuesday night. Kwanzaa, an African-American holiday that celebrates family, community and culture, began Tuesday and ends Jan 1. Each day focuses on a different principle, and Tuesday's was unity. This year is the holiday's 40th anniversary. ''It's a family gathering,'' said 11-year-old performer Tameka Lewis, decked out in a bright pink costume. ``We learn about our black brothers and sisters and ancestors.''...

It amazes me that this Kwanza business has been washed of the real life criminal activity of its creator. The man was a race monger, a violent thug, a rapist, a torturer... just a horrible human being. Yet never a word of this man's evil is ever uttered when his pseudo holiday is discussed in the MSM. And the Cox News Service did it again on Christmas in theirs titled Kwanzaa glows even brighter after 40 years. Kwanzaa turns 40 today. The colorful holiday, invented by California professor Maulana Ron Karenga in 1966, is like a jazz musician who fuses...

Cox News Honors Kwanzaa Creator, A Rapist and Torturer by Warner Todd Huston on December 26, 2006 It amazes me that this Kwanzaa business has been washed of the real life criminal activity of its creator. The man was a race monger, a violent thug, a rapist, a torturer... just a horrible human being. Yet never a word of this man's evil is ever uttered when his pseudo holiday is discussed in the MSM. And the Cox News Service did it again on Christmas in theirs titled Kwanzaa glows even brighter after 40 years. Kwanzaa turns 40 today. The colorful...

Learn about Kwanzaa, it's worth celebrating By Akilah Monifa COMMENTARY I CELEBRATE Kwanzaa, a holiday that honors family, community and culture. My family and I have done so for years. But five years after Sept. 11, in this climate of religious and cultural intolerance in America, I can sympathize with Muslims here who feel like outsiders. Many white Americans are suspicious and fearful of Kwanzaa. Like other holidays that are celebrated predominantly by people of color -- such as Ramadan, Juneteenth, Holi, Hispanic Heritage Month -- Kwanzaa ought to be an opportunity for those who are unfamiliar with it to...

Kwanzaa is Right Around the Corner LOS ANGELES, CA (CNS) -- The seven-day festival of Kwanzaa begins tomorrow, marking its 40th anniversary amid growing official acceptance and criticism of its authenticity and value. Maulana Karenga, a professor in Cal State Long Beach's Department of Black Studies, created Kwanzaa in 1966 in an attempt to reaffirm and restore blacks' ties to African culture, reaffirm and reinforce bonds among blacks and to introduce and reinforce the ''Nguzo Saba,'' the Seven Principles, according to the Official Kwanzaa Web Site, www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org. The Seven Principles are unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose,...

Article published Dec 25, 2006 "Kwanzaa Not Catching on Despite Black Population" Cox said he and many other blacks respect the holiday, but there are barriers to its broader acceptance. Associated Press Columbia, S.C. | It has been four decades since Kwanzaa was created as an African-American celebration of family and community, but in that time it has not resonated widely in South Carolina, a state where one-third of the population is black. "I personally don't know a single person who celebrates the holiday," said Marcus Cox, founding director of the African-American Studies Program at The Citadel. The holiday was...

Kwanzaa Principles Help to Serve Our Children by Naeemah Carter Baltimore Times Originally posted 12/21/2006 The National CASA Association shares one unique volunteer opportunity As the holiday season and New Year arrive, so does our increased attention to the needs of our families and communities. No matter what your holiday traditions may be, it is important to remember those around us who are less fortunate. Our children, often overlooked in the holiday season, need your help more than ever to make their lives more stable and safe. Often, we search for the perfect time to get involved in personally rewarding...

Blacks object to cows roaming near tribute to former slave By Olivia Munoz ASSOCIATED PRESS December 21, 2006 ALLENSWORTH – Basque immigrant Sam Etchegaray had two seemingly perfect swaths for two large dairies: 2,000 rural acres of dusty fields in the Central Valley where thousands of cows would be at home in the No. 1 milk-producing county in the nation. The only problem is the pastures were next to a state park that pays tribute to a freed slave who founded the community, raising the ire of environmentalists and blacks who objected to the pollution and stench that would come...

EAST ST. LOUIS — Its official start was still a week away, but the sound of traditional African drums Tuesday night gave proof that for some, Kwanzaa had already started. With a rousing performance, about seven members of Sunshine Lee and the Community Performance Ensemble kicked off the Eugene B. Redmond Writing Club's 20th annual Kwanzaa celebration at the East St. Louis campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Kids celebrate Kwanzaa Holiday: School lessons culminate in festivities honoring heritage of African-Americans. By Araceli Esparza, Staff writer Long Beach Press Telegram Article Launched:12/17/2006 08:31:08 PM PST NORWALK - Alasdair Jackson, a fourth-grader at Morrison Elementary School, said he's gaining valuable lessons about life and mankind. "I'm learning about other people's cultures. And the more I learn about other people's cultures, the more I learn about people," the 9-year-old said. As a student in Diahann Greenidge's class, Jackson and his classmates are exploring a new aspect to their traditional holiday season. They're learning about Kwanzaa, the week-long secular holiday that...

Kwanzaa: A Holiday From the FBI by Ann Coulter President Bush's 2005 Kwanzaa message began with the patently absurd statement: "African-Americans and people around the world reflect on African heritage during Kwanzaa." I believe more African-Americans spent this season reflecting on the birth of Christ than some phony non-Christian holiday invented a few decades ago by an FBI stooge. Kwanzaa is a holiday for white liberals, not blacks. It is a fact that Kwanzaa was invented in 1966 by a black radical FBI stooge, Ron Karenga, aka Dr. Maulana Karenga. Karenga was a founder of United Slaves, a violent nationalist...

Catholic League president Bill Donohue released the following statement today on the Christmas wars: “The secular crusaders who want to neuter Christmas say ad nauseam that the reason why we have to give more attention to holidays other than Christmas is due to the increasingly diverse composition of our nation and the world. But it is a hoax: the evidence is just the opposite. “According to Boston University professor Stephen Prothero, America now has more Christians than any other nation in history (Christian Science Monitor, 12-23-03). ‘In terms of religious background,’ writes Hoover Institution scholar Dinesh D’Souza, ‘America is no...

Another vanity on FR..but one that is important at this time. I am seeing a bit of a disturbing trend going on that I had not seen in previous years...the absence of Christmas/Holiday Concerts and Plays going on at local schools around the country. From New Jersey to Florida to Georgia to California these stories have been shared with me and I have even seen it happen with my own child. My brothers kids are not having a performance at their school this year, a close friend who is a teacher in the Orlando area says it was "phased out"...

Much has changed since 1966, when Maulana Karenga founded Kwanzaa. "I remember people saying, 'Who does he think he is, starting a holiday?' " said Shirley Weber, a San Diego State University professor of Africana studies. "They questioned the right of us to determine who we are. They said, 'Ain't nobody going to do that.' " Now, 39 years later, millions of people of African descent around the world celebrate Kwanzaa. "Kwanzaa helps you every year to remind you of who you are," Weber said. Last night, about 150 people gathered to celebrate Kwanzaa, honoring their ancestors, roots and the...

President Bush's 2005 Kwanzaa message began with the patently absurd statement: "African-Americans and people around the world reflect on African heritage during Kwanzaa." I believe more African-Americans spent this season reflecting on the birth of Christ than some phony non-Christian holiday invented a few decades ago by an FBI stooge. Kwanzaa is a holiday for white liberals, not blacks. It is a fact that Kwanzaa was invented in 1966 by a black radical FBI stooge, Ron Karenga, aka Dr. Maulana Karenga. Karenga was a founder of United Slaves, a violent nationalist rival to the Black Panthers and a dupe of...

CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq (Dec. 28, 2005) -- December is a month of celebration for multiple faiths, making the holiday season an extra busy time for chaplains in Iraq. Between Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and the Islamic Hajj, Navy Capt. Vince Arnold, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward) group chaplain, knows the importance of providing for all service members, regardless of religious preferences. “This time of a year the three main religious groups being Judaism, Christianity and Islam, trace back their genealogy to one person: Abraham,” The Newport, N.C. native said. “It’s interesting that we are in Iraq during this season because this...

President Bush December 19 sent warm greetings to all who are celebrating Kwanzaa -- a seven-day observance emphasizing seven principles of African culture. Kwanzaa, which will begin December 26, represents an African-American and pan-African holiday celebrating family, community and culture. For additional information see Holidays and African Americans. Following is the text of the statement: THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary December 19, 2005 December 2005 I send greetings to those observing Kwanzaa. African Americans and people around the world reflect on African heritage during Kwanzaa. The seven days of this celebration emphasize the seven principles of Nguzo...

Today's Chicago Tribune notes that Kwanzaa was created "by African-American scholar Maulana Karenga." A check of the Tribune's own archives discloses that he could have been characterized somewhat differently. On October 7, 1970 the newspaper reported: "Black militant Ron Karenga was arrested with three of his followers today on charges he tortured two young women with a soldering iron and a vise. . .Investigators said the women were held at gunpoint, forced to disrobe and were beaten. At one point, it was charged, Karenga forced a hot soldering iron inside the mouth of one of the victims while the other...

Kwanzaa, the African-American and pan-African celebration of family, community and culture, began with festivities of music, spoken words, togetherness and more throughout the region yesterday. This year's theme, "A Season of Celebration, Meditation and Recommitment," was heralded yesterday at places such as the Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn, where members of the Kwanzaa Collective gave out awards to those who had best exemplified the holiday's principles, to individual homes, where families lit the first candle on the kinara, or candle holder. "People interested in their culture want to celebrate the good about family, community and culture, which is...

Kwanzaa, the seven-day cultural celebration for people of African descent that began Monday, has come a long way since California activists created it nearly 40 years ago in the aftermath of the Watts riots in Los Angeles. "Like most holidays, Kwanzaa is now part of the American landscape," said Bill Jeter, a Twin Cities artist and teacher. Indeed, Kwanzaa is so mainstream that it has been featured on a U.S. postage stamp. Counselors use its "Nguzo Saba" - Swahili for "Seven Principles" - in treatment programs, and Kwanzaa "rite of passage" programs for young girls are fairly common. In short,...

As the holiday grows with greeting cards and citywide celebrations, some wonder whether it's losing the intimacy that once fueled it ON the table are children's books. Not Dick and Jane. Not Judy Blume. These are Afrocentric volumes about Kwanzaa, colorful hardcovers and paperbacks featuring dark-skinned children in African dress. "Look at these," Angela Lindsey says to her kids, Chrishonta, 10, and Jaques, 4, while at the SHAPE Community Center recently. "These are nice." Nice, but no sale. She's not there to buy Kwanzaa material. The single parent is a Houston Community College student and needs to use a computer....