The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute presented a free community event to celebrate and learn more about the history and etymology of Kwanzaa! Families were offered fun crafts, hot cocoa, West African drumming, and great books about the annual celebration of African American culture.

Our Community of Readers Program aims to bridge the gap between literacy and parental involvement by instructing families about better reading habits, promoting local parents’ belief in their own capabilities as educational mentors, and using books to enhance the time that families spend together. In 2021, we offered a read-along and free copies of My First Kwanzaa by Karen Katz and Seven Spools of Thread by Angela Shelf Medearis.

All were welcome to join the National Hook Up of Black Women/Birmingham as they shared the principles of Kwanzaa, or Nguzo Saba – the seven principles of African Heritage. We observed the Kwanzaa traditions of music and dance with Sahi On Ko Djony, craft musical instruments and offered free books about Kwanzaa for folks to take home and pass down to loved ones for generations.