According to University of Minnesota Professor Keith Mayes, the author of Kwanzaa: Black Power and the Making of the African-American Holiday Tradition, the popularity within the US has "leveled off" as the black power movement there has declined, and now between half and two million people celebrate Kwanzaa in the US, or between one and five percent of African Americans
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Between 1% - 5%??.. it doesn't seem to be too popular within the black community anymore. Seems like a lot of blacks lost interest in the own " holiday" and heritage What's up with that?

It's actually just the good Professor's very own,private,Brainfart!

excerpt from the Article:

It wasn’t mere assault Karenga was convicted of, either. It was the sexual assault and even torture that he perpetrated against some of his own female followers. At the time, The L.A. Times reported that he placed a hot soldering iron in one woman’s mouth and used a vise to crush another’s toe, of all things.

As writer Lynn Woolley wrote of Professor Karenga:

And so this is Kwanzaa. The militant past of the creator is now ignored in favor of the so-called seven principles of Nguza Saba, principles such as unity, family and self-determination that could have come from Bill Bennett’s Book of Virtues. The word “Kwanzaa” is Swahili, meaning something like “fresh fruits of harvest.”

No one remembers the part about “re-Africanization” or the sevenfold path of blackness that Dr. Karenga once espoused. Hardly anyone remembers the shootings, the beatings, the tortures and the prison terms that were once the center of his life. It’s just not PC to bring that sort of stuff up now that Kwanzaa is commercialized and making big bucks.

But, Casimir offers us Karenga’s prattle anyway, treating it as the advice of a sage:

“As part of the black freedom movement, we were using this to return to our history and culture,” Karenga said.

He spoke to a crowd of about 100 people ” young and old ” at the Third Ward community center, headed by Deloyd Parker, an avid promoter of Kwanzaa’s Afrocentric traditions and beliefs.

“We have to wake up that history, we have to remember ourselves in a more expansive way,” Karenga said. “To liberate ourselves as ghetto dwellers.”

In a day when the black middle class numbers in the millions and when more whites than blacks voted for a black man for president, for “Karenga” to claim that blacks are still relegated to the “ghettos” smacks of race baiting and trying to “keep hope alive” so that he can continue to cause hatred between whites and blacks. And each year the Old Media is all too happy to assist him in his faux “holiday” endeavor.

Happy Kwanzaa, indeed!

But maybe not everyone is fooled by a faux holiday created by a criminal? Last year, for instance, Kalamazoo, Michigan decided to dispense with its public Kwanzaa celebration. In fact, few cities worry over much about this holiday these days, though some still do.

Even some African Americans are not fooled into accepting Kwanzaa. As Jenice Armstrong from Philadelphia wrote in 2010, the “truth is that Kwanzaa has never caught on with the majority of black Americans.”

Of course if it wasn’t for an Old Media establishment that has given Karenga’s criminality a wholesale whitewashing, this faux holiday could never have gained as little traction it has. Put it this way; imagine if famed Ku Klux Klan member David Duke had created a holiday. Do you think the Old Media would have happily sold his creation to a misinformed public without mentioning Duke’s personal history? Not a chance, and rightfully so.

alot of blacks are fully indoctrinated in western culture and traditions and there is no commercialism in Kwanzaa,, to appeal to them,,

well if a white texan radiocaster says so,,,lol

particularly love the 'something like'(doenst even care enough to research an interpretation)

the holiday is not called 'Karengas' day and noone but race baiters wish to reposition the holiday to make it seem like it is or should be a celebration of an individual instead of a celebration of principles


oh , and I also love how we use the 'raw numbers'(of which whites in america have in a ratio of 6:1) to make some point trying to dispute whether blacks are in ghettos,,,,and how stating so is 'race baiting',but sneaking the topic of ghettos in a discussion of Kwanzaa is apparently not,,,,lol,,,


but, same old tricks of lame reporting,,,,and bias


most curiously, why would anyone CARE to try to berate a holiday that celebrates principles?


I mean independence day is to celebrate 'independence' even for americans whose ancestors continued to have none on that day and were even OWNED by many of the same founders who declared the independence....

A May 14, 1971, article in the Los Angeles Times described the testimony of one of them: "Deborah Jones, who once was given the Swahili title of an African queen, said she and Gail Davis were whipped with an electrical cord and beaten with a karate baton after being ordered to remove their clothes. She testified that a hot soldering iron was placed in Miss Davis' mouth and placed against Miss Davis' face and that one of her own big toes was tightened in a vise. Karenga, head of US, also put detergent and running hoses in their mouths, she said."
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WOW!!! and I thought it was bad to get coal in my stocking!!... thanks away, I'll stick to St. Nick

Oh. o.k...so in other words.. 95% of blacks could care less about this " holiday", right?

But it is appealing to those 5% who are still stuck in the 60's.. well I guess we had Patty Hurst so we really can't say much.

actually that would be false logic

95 percent are a combination of those who know nothing about it(I suspect most of that 95 percent) and those who know but dont care

it is appealing to those who wish to celebrate some of the culture of their ancestors,,,,,,

Really?.. you suspect.. and how do you come up with that number.. "most of that 95%".. based on what?.. other then " you suspect".. I mean.. you know about it right?.. I know about it. Does 9 out of 10 of your family and friends not know of Kwanzaa?

Did anyone come on this tread and say " what's Kwanzaa"?, It is a widely know term. Mentioned in schooling, holiday T.V greetings, ect, ect..in all the PC places for years. But you are saying that most of the 95% of black people know nothing about this black " holiday" and only a small percentage don't care.

I know it the same others know that they 'dont care' about it

made that pretty clear

and yes, I suspect a majority in the last couple decades have no idea what kwanzaa is and the minority that do have a large portion that dont care,,

Well, since were just "suspecting" then I suspect that the 95% of blacks know about Kwanzaa and don't care about Kwanzaa, because they know it to be a BS made up holiday designed by the folks from the X generation. which they have nothing in common with.. thus no interst.

well we believe what we want to

of course, I am a black person in a black family with black kids attending public schools

they arent teaching about Kwanzaa except in passing, not that I would ever expect mainstream to have any positive imagery or promotion of african traditions,,,


this, like most 'black' history is something passed down within black families mostly

and after many 'fell for' the idea that equality had been achieved in the sixties and seventies,, they chose to assimilate as a show of prosperity and shed any 'african' tradition,,,

Well.. who knows, maybe timing had a lot to do with it to. You know, first the "holiday" is manufactured, then "bam!", were all hit with the Ebonics thing.. make a holiday and here's a new language.. learn them!.. bit much..I think even for the black folk.

I know 'western culture' seems like such an oxymoron,,,,lol

but those alleged 'american concepts'

meritocracy
justice
personal value = net value of earned income, inheritance, or investments,,


many bought into them and traded them for values of family and community first,,,,

that as well, african americans seperating themselves from their cultural history so they were more likely to be treated 'equal'(or so they thought)

after the public showing of how those seeking change would be executed,, mlk, malcolm x, kennedy,,,etc,, etc

and the evolution of actual physical execution to executing of character and reputation in the public eye,,,


trying to cling to anything 'african' became seen as self opressing and isolating and confused as the reason for inequality, 'assimilating' into a culture where money became the almighty goal loaned quite a bit to how community and family fell further and further behind

They should have a "Black Kwanzaa Day" at all Walmart's for blacks only.

thats the ticket

why worry so much about something you dont care to celebrate anyway,,,,

america didnt gain independence for ALL americans, so no, its not rooted in anything that included all americans.

I never implied Thanksgiving was for all Americans. The government made it a national holiday for the (still existing Protestant majority)

thanksgiving in america is about pilgrims, and nothing religious, nothing having to do with christ or God.

SMFH..Again..that is your buddies talking & trying to remove Yahweh & Yehoshua
* We all know how that will end *

inviting a muslim to dinner is about not isolating people and making them feel like part of a larger community

ANY religion or culture can have a holiday that is THEIRS. Do you want to take the Chinese & Hebrew New Years?
* Good luck grasshopper .. Or plague of locusts*
The ONLY all inclusive holiday is American Independence day. ANY Faith or ANY culture having their own is NOT exclusion.

again, like natives and pilgrims allegedly did

Allegedly is correct. The pilgrims would of all died if the OP's didn't show up & feed them. * More died the first winter than on the trip over, they were NOT a farming class of people & didn't know the terrain or plants & wildlife *

and dinner is not secular, but thanksgiving is about 'americans', so including others embraces the 'thanksgiving' idea of sharing and oneness.

If people want to bring in another Faith or Culture into their home with their family there are lots of non holidays to do that.

kwanzaa has everything to do with AFrican values, few caucasian americans will aknowledge it because it doenst follow the historical narrative of africans as mere sub human primitives,,,

Hater.. Hhaa.. " sub human primates"?. How old are you? Where did you find this time machine? Congrats on saying the most racist thing I ever heard. And God knows, I have heard a lot (in my over half a century).

the same way 'all americans' can celebrate the day brits gained independence from britain, while enslaving africans and isolating natives.

Hun? You didn't read any world history did you? But with this thinking you would love celebrating ' Cinco De Mayo ' ... on the deportation bus with them.
BTW: ' Natives' do consider themselves Americans. Not only because they are the OP's, but because, unlike you, they wouldn't want to live anyplace else.

'all americans' can celebrate the positive concepts that existed in African culture

We could, but why would an entire nation celebrate a illegitimate holiday for the 12%-16% of the pop.?
Geez. There are far more people celebrating Passover.
* Jews & Christians *
* Passover is the only (non pagan) holiday in the Holy Bible *
If you find a legitimate holiday for the ENTIRE Continent of Africa.. Go for it & enjoy. If not, pick a country & run with it. Or except being an American (if you actually are one) & stop whining or leave.

and 'all americans' can celebrate 'saints' on saint patricks day

Hhaa. that is RC saints & Celtic. Not Protestant saints.. You SHOULD know the difference. And why would all the other religions & cultures want anything to do with that? They have their own & a right to have them.

and 'all americans' can celebrate oktoberfest

Hhaa..that doesn't make sense. But yes many Americans celebrate that. Sorry for you if you feel 'left out'. Great party.

ANY religion or culture can have a holiday that is THEIRS. Do you want to take the Chinese & Hebrew Years?

GREAT so we agree, and black people can have their holidays too,,,

so why all the whinging about it?

Of course black people can have holidays.

But NO group, no matter what kind, can CHANGE a holiday for another group or feel forced or obligated to include another or all groups or try to remove the holiday, or force their holiday on another group.
* This is where we disagree*
My point is Freedom of Religion, not from religion.