December 29, 2009 by Mike Bell
Kwanzaa is a seven-day celebration with roots in the festivities held by some African tribes to herald the harvest. It begins on the day after Christmas and runs through New Year’s Day. An estimated 20 million people worldwide celebrate Kwanzaa.
Kwanzaa means first fruits in Swahili. On each day, a different African-based principle or value is observed, such as ”umoja” (Swahili for unity) or ”kujichagulia” (self-determination).
Kwanzaa, founded by Ron Karenga, celebrates the seven principles of Kwanzaa, or Nguzo Saba (originally Nguzu Saba-the seven principles of blackness), which Karenga said “is a communitarian African philosophy,” consisting of what Karenga called “the best of African thought and practice in constant exchange with the world.”
These seven principles comprise Kawaida , a Swahili term for tradition and reason. Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles, as follows:
- Umoja (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
- Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.
- Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers’ and sisters’ problems our problems, and to solve them together.
- Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
- Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
- Kuumba (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
- Imani (Faith): To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.
Category: Diversity | Comments (0)
December 22, 2009 by Mike Bell
“We are all problem solvers, action oriented and results minded. It is illegal in this culture to leave a meeting without a to-do list. We want measurable outcomes and we want them now.
“What is hard to grasp is that it is this very mindset which prevents anything fundamental from changing. We cannot problem solve our way into fundamental change, or transformation.
“This is not an argument against problem solving; it is an intention to shift the context and language within which problem solving takes place. Authentic transformation is about a shift in context and a shift in language and conversation. It is about changing our idea of what constitutes action.”
From David Block in Civic Engagement and the Restoration of Community
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December 20, 2009 by Mike Bell
Susan Boyle Depression Diagnosis, is the latest news on Ms. Boyle. Recently Susan came out about being bullied as a child in school and her tough upbringing at home. The singer has battled a long bout with depression.
Could her current and past mental status be a direct result from her rough childhood? Experts seem to think so. The “I Dreamed A Dream,” singer said she had suffered years of depression after being taunted over her learning difficulties. Susan said she felt angry and that the bullying had left psychological scars. The Britain’s Got Talent star revealed that she suffers from anger and mood swings as a result of a “hellish” childhood.
Susan went on to say, “I can be up and down like a yo-yo – I can be depressed – I know I’m taking a big chance telling people this but you have to be honest.” You’ve got to hand it to her, a lot of people sweep depression under the rug, while it’s not an easy topic to discuss, her current revelations could help her to find some inner peace. Susan was left with learning disabilities after being starved for oxygen during birth. The other children quickly caught on that Ms. Boyle was challenged and began to mock her relentlessly. Her only escape was to seek comfort in singing – a talent she discovered when she was five.
Susan who has never had a boyfriend – said: “I was born with a disability and that made me a target for bullies. I was called names because of my fuzzy hair and because I struggled in class.” she went on to explain, “I told the teachers, but because it was more verbal than physical I could never prove anything. But words often hurt more than cuts and bruises and the scars are still there.” Well,
Susan has the last laugh these days, her newly released album I Dream A Dream has sold out to record breaking numbers.
Category: Depression | Comments (0)
