Five Kwanzaa Celebrations Around the Country

For many Black Americans, the holiday is a time for bonding, joy and repose. The Times visited five households to see how people cook and gather, engage and reflect. By Nicole Taylor Photographs by Nydia Blas Celeste Noche Brian Palmer and Timothy Smith Dec. 21, 2020 Kwanzaa is more than an end-of-year display of deep orange and burnt burgundy Dutch wax-print fabrics, and righteous images of fruit bowls sitting near wooden cups. It's an edifying lifestyle choice. "More people are starting to focus on who they are, and what they want their families to experience — empowering cultural stories that get our brains from up under the foot of oppression," said Janine Bell, the president and artistic director of Elegba Folklore Society in Richmond, Va. The holiday — observed by people of all ages and religious affiliations — resonates in a year of racial upheaval and the Covid-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 30,000 Black Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . This year's tone is virtual ceremonial pomp and circumstance, followed by bottles of apple cider or sparkling wine. Kwanzaa , which starts on Dec. 26, was founded in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, then… Read full this story

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