MILWAUKEE — To mark the second day of Kwanzaa, community members came together at Sherman Phoenix Marketplace Wednesday in celebration of heritage and common values.
The day's event focused on Kujichagulia, meaning self-determination in Swahili, and featured board games, music, and a live performance by the Nefetari African Dance Company & Drummers.
"I love celebrating Kwanzaa, ”attendee Trinisha Hussain said. "You get to meet people within the community and talk to each other about why the holiday is fun and what they like."
Event organizer and member of the Kujichagulia Producers Cooperative Venice Williams said Sherman Pheonix is the perfect place to host the festivities because it’s a good representation of what day two is all about.
“When we talk about being self-determined it means looking at who we are as an African American people,” Williams said, “to define ourselves to name ourselves, to create and live for ourselves.”
Sherman Phoenix’s mission is to uplift Milwaukee’s community of color and to that end is home to dozens of local entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs who Williams said live by Kujichagulia every single day.
“We have to have that self-determination discipline and dedication to make it a successful business,” she explained. “Anyone can birth something, to maintain it is work.”
As people in attendance took time to highlight self-determination, they said they’re also still holding on to the lesson from the day before on Umoja meaning unity.
Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is tied to a principle around personal and community growth: Umoja/unity, Kujichagulia/self-determination, Ujima/collective work and responsibility, Nia/purpose, Kuumba/creativity, and Imani/faith.
The last day of Kwanzaa falls on January 1st and traditionally ends in a communal feast.
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