‘Ujamaa.’ What day 4 of Kwanzaa means for those who celebrate

PEORIA (25 News Now) -Ujamaa. It means familyhood.

In Swahili, the concept of Ujamaa suggests that a person becomes a person through the people or community.

One can accomplish it by investing in local businesses and stores - creating and profiting together.

Ujamaa is part of the seven day celebration of Kwanzaa, created by activist Maulana Karenga, based on African harvest festival traditions from various parts of west and southeast Africa.

Unlike many other winter holidays, Kwanzaa isn’t tied to a single religion.

“I always say we cannot get too generational wealth until we alleviate generational poverty, and this is a way alleviate generational poverty by teaching our young people about generational wealth and how to build it doing creative economics,” said Minority Business Development Center CEO Denise Moore.

Kwanzaa began the day after Christmas and is celebrated until New Year’s Day.