Kwanzaa stands apart as a unique addition to the array of holiday traditions Delaware celebrates. Dr. Maulana Karenga created Kwanzaa in 1966 in the aftermath of the Watts riots, conceiving it as a non-Christian, African-American holiday that offers an alternative to the dominant Christmas tradition. Karenga aimed to empower Black Americans to celebrate their own heritage, focusing on self-affirmation and community unity rather than imitating practices of the broader society.
Kwanzaa has become part of the holiday landscape in Delaware despite this distinction, blending seamlessly with other seasonal festivities. Kwanzaa celebrants observe the holiday from December 26 to January 1, emphasizing values that resonate deeply within the state’s African-American communities, such as unity, self-determination, and collective responsibility.
Many who celebrate Kwanzaa also observe Christmas, reflecting how different traditions coexist during the holiday season, even though Kwanzaa does not intend to replace Christmas.
Kwanzaa’s focus on African cultural heritage and its seven guiding principles (Nguzo Saba) make it a distinct and meaningful celebration. By presenting Kwanzaa as part of Delaware’s broader holiday season, this chapter acknowledges both its unique roots and its place within the diverse traditions that shape the state’s festive landscape.
Kwanzaa is not tied to any single African country or tradition. Dr. Karenga drew inspiration from several African harvest festivals, combining elements from the Ashanti and Zulu peoples, among others.
The transatlantic slave trade, which began in 1619, brought captured Africans to America from various regions across West and Central Africa, necessitating this pan-African approach.
Slaveholders systematically, and often violently, suppressed African traditions to erase cultural identities and prevent organized resistance. Consequently, African Americans were left with a diverse yet fragmented mix of heritage, leading to the need for a unifying pan-African cultural framework. Tracey Dorsey, a Claymont woman who has participated in Kwanzaa for many decades, emphasized to the News Journal that the event is “a seven-day cultural celebration for a people robbed by slavery of their African heritage.”
One must look back to the early 19th century, when Delaware played a strong role in the development of America’s independent Black churches, to understand Kwanzaa’s rapid adoption in the state. Among the most iconic figures in this history is Peter Spencer, who founded the Union Church of Africans in Wilmington in 1813. This church, later known as the Mother African Union Methodist Protestant (AUMP) Church, became the first independent Black denomination in the United States.
The Mother AUMP Church became a focal point for African American ethnic and spiritual life. Here, Spencer initiated the August Quarterly festival in 1814, an event that would become a powerful expression of both worship and culture for the black community. The August Quarterly, with its blend of religious fervor, social gatherings, and communal expressions, can be seen as a direct precursor to the holistic community-based approach of Kwanzaa.
Just as the August Quarterly brought together people for spiritual renewal and cultural affirmation, Kwanzaa emphasizes unity, self-determination, and collective responsibility within the community. Both traditions foster a sense of identity and solidarity, reflecting a deep-rooted practice in Delaware’s Black churches of using gatherings to nurture cultural heritage and mutual support.
These foundations of religious autonomy evolved into more explicit forms of social activism as one moves into the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Black churches of Delaware became centers not just of worship, but of education and social services. This rich history of community building and cultural preservation set the stage for Delaware’s swift embrace of Kwanzaa in the 1970s.
Local Kwanzaa observance has been deeply personal for many individuals. One, Kamau Ngom, would go on to play a crucial role in firmly rooting Kwanzaa in the state. Ngom recalls that, in the late ’60s, he was ‘struggling with his identity as a Black man in America and with his African heritage.’
For Ngom, as for many others, Africa was a complex and often misunderstood concept. “Africa then was seen as something bad,” he told ‘Delaware Today’ in 2019. The introduction of Kwanzaa in 1966 provided a new framework for understanding and celebrating African heritage. Ngom describes his discovery of Kwanzaa as a “remarkable revelation,” noting that the ceremony “embraced and was rooted in Africa, with traditional prayer, idols and paraphernalia.”
Ngom was among the first in Delaware to observe Kwanzaa, beginning in 1968. “I was one of very few people in the state celebrating it,” he recalls. However, the movement quickly gained momentum. “By 1970 it was bigger, and it kept getting bigger.”
Inspired by the growing enthusiasm for Kwanzaa, Ngom founded the Delaware Kwanzaa Committee, which became responsible for organizing an annual Community Kwanzaa Feast. This extravaganza echoed the communal spirit that has long been a part of Delaware’s black church tradition, from the August Quarterly to church dinners and social gatherings. “The concept of Kwanzaa,” explains Ngom, “stems from harvest seasons in Africa, in which the village would come together and bring whatever they had to bring—yams, goats. We treat this the same way—community members bring what they can, and if they can’t, that’s OK.”
December 1994
Wilmington’s self-described Kwanzaa ambassador, Ngom joins many of his neighbors at their tables during the weeklong get-togethers. Kwanzaa’s seven principles guide meaningful community discussions. “On the first day, we talk about unity and what [we’ve] done in the past year to promote unity in the community.” Umoja (Unity) resonates with the churches’ role as unifying forces in the community. Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) echoes the spirit of independence that led to the formation of black churches in Delaware in the first place. Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) and Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) reflect the mutual aid societies and economic empowerment initiatives of many churches.
It’s important to note, as Ngom emphasizes, that Kwanzaa was not intended to replace existing religious celebrations. “There is an untruth that Kwanzaa is a replacement for Christmas,” he says. “That’s just not the case. I, and many others who celebrate Kwanzaa, celebrate Christmas, too.” This clarification underscores how Delaware’s African American community adopted Kwanzaa as a complementary cultural entity, enriching rather than replacing the religious traditions maintained by the state’s black churches.
We can see how these principles might have been embraced and promoted by specific congregations. For instance, Wilmington’s Shiloh Baptist Church, founded in 1876 as the first one for Delaware blacks, had a long tradition of cultural programs and community outreach. Its choirs and dramatic productions embodied the principle of Kuumba (Creativity). Similarly, Wilmington’s St. Joseph Catholic Church, established in 1890 as Delaware’s first black Catholic congregation, had a history of providing education and vocational training. This demonstrated a commitment to self-reliance and community development that resonated with Kwanzaa’s principles of Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) and Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility).
The tradition of August Quarterly camp meetings, which had been a vital part of Delaware’s black religious life since the early 19th century, offers another pointer to Kwanzaa. These gatherings, which combined spiritual revival with social bonding and cultural expression, share similarities with Kwanzaa in their emphasis on community gathering, shared meals, and cultural affirmation.
The rapid embrace of Kwanzaa in Delaware can also be understood in the context of the broader cultural and political shifts occurring in the late 1960s. As the civil rights movement evolved, it placed a growing emphasis on African American cultural identity and self-determination.
Delaware’s black churches, with their long history of balancing spiritual guidance alongside social and political engagement, were well-positioned to incorporate these new cultural expressions.
Hosting a public Kwanzaa feast on December 26th is meaningful for several reasons. First, hosting a feast the day after Christmas asserts Kwanzaa as a distinct and important cultural observance. It demonstrates a deliberate effort to establish Kwanzaa as separate from but complementary to existing holiday traditions.
This date also maximizes community engagement, as many people are off work and can easily attend. It echoes traditional African American gatherings during the holiday season and bridges established traditions with new cultural practices.
The visibility of this date ensures high awareness for Kwanzaa, attracting curious onlookers and raising awareness about its principles. This visibility aids cultural reclamation and self-determination following the civil rights movement.
Lastly, the timing allows Kwanzaa to be integrated into the broader holiday season, making it easier for families to plan and participate. This normalization helps establish Kwanzaa as part of the cultural landscape.
The growing popularity of Kwanzaa in Delaware is evident in Ngom’s observation about the Community Kwanzaa Feast: “We host at our home, but it’s starting to be like what I experienced in the ’70s—too many people keep showing up!” This enthusiasm reflects the success of Kwanzaa in meeting a deep-seated need for affirmation and community solidarity, a need that Delaware’s black churches had long recognized and strived to fulfill.
The public Kwanzaa feast first hosted by the Delaware Kwanzaa Committee on December 26, 1970, can thus be seen not as a new departure, but as a continuation of a long tradition of communal celebration in Delaware’s African American community. To this day it represents a secular expression of values and practices that have been nurtured in the churches for generations. In embracing Kwanzaa, Delaware’s African American community has built on a rich religious and cultural heritage while also asserting identity in new ways.