Neal-Marshall brings Kwanzaa to IU campus

Unity. Self-determination. Collective work and responsibility. Cooperative economics. Purpose. Creativity. Faith.

Through music, food and art, organizers at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center taught the seven principles of the African-American holiday of Kwanzaa to participants Thursday night at a pre-Kwanzaa celebration.

One of the main goals of Kwanzaa is to inspire individuals to reflect on their past and better themselves.

“Go back to the values; reaffirm them and find ones that speak to them,” said Audrey McCluskey, director of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center and professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies. “Different people have different responses to certain values. If you correlate the values to your own lives, that is successful.”

On Thursday, the Neal-Marshall Center’s pre-Kwanzaa event, “A Celebration of the Arts of the African Diaspora,” explained the seven principles of the holiday.

Kwanzaa, which is traditionally observed from Dec. 26 through Jan. 1, celebrates one principle each day, but the Neal-Marshall event incorporated all of the seven principles so that the participants could get a taste of Kwanzaa.

During the event, representatives from each of the seven student organizations explained one of the values with a quote.

“The quotes represented what the principles truly mean,” said Evelyn Hamilton, graduate assistant at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center. “It brought aspects of our ancestors’ thoughts and ideas as a part of the program.”

The spirit of the holiday was encompassed in the variety of musical performances selected: spiritual, jazz and Brazilian jazz. The jazz music included Afro Blue by John Coltrane and songs by Stevie Wonder.

The purpose of the music performances was to get audience members enthusiastic about the message of Kwanzaa. The songs were intended to connect to the seven principles.

“I hope the musical performances gave people the joy of being alive. When music is gone from the earth, we are in trouble,” said Fareed Mahluli, director of the Soul Revue. “Music expresses the principle of kuumba (creativity).”

The music varied in its sound and style.

“We wanted to show the diversity of personal style of the African people,” McCluskey said. “African people are all over the world. We are a diverse people, but we have common values. We want our art form to display this.”

The principles of Kwanzaa are common to people of African-American heritage, “but they transcend to all humanity,” said Keith McCutchen, director of the African American Choral Ensemble.

The purpose of the event was to help people gain knowledge of African-American culture and inspire everyone to celebrate Kwanzaa in some form.

Sachiko Higgins-Kante, administrative assistant at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, said the principles of Kwanzaa are soul-builders, and everyone should have these instilled in their character.

“My hope is that from this event, people will not only celebrate Kwanzaa in December,” she said, “but celebrate it throughout the year.”