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JANUARY 4, 2013
Kwanzaa
COMMUNITY
SIGNAL TRIBUNE
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about principles that every culture should follow. “These are principles to live by, and if we all lived by these acts of love we would not have the violence we have today,” he said. “We were enslaved for hundreds of years. We came through Jim Crow laws and two world wars, conflicts, police brutality, oppression, and we’re still here standing… a resilient race of people.” Parker said, since the end of slavery in America, there have been many civil-rights achievements for black people through AfricanAmerican “revolutionaries” who paved the way for new generations. However, black families today are still bombarded by “television programs, literature, child molestation and violence,” he said. “There are so many people in Africa and America who risked their lives, reputations and livelihoods so that we could be free here in America, and the struggle continues,” Parker said. “We need to make a personal commitment in our homes and our churches and communities and organizations to protect our children and our older members of our population.” MORE INFORMATION officialkwanzaawebsite.org villagetreasuresart.com
Photos by Sean Belk/Signal Tribune
Dembrebrah Drum and Dance Ensemble (pictured above and below right) performs a traditional African drum and dance presentation during the annual Kwanzaa event that took place at the Expo Art Center on Atlantic Avenue in Bixby Knolls on Dec. 30.
Eighth District Long Beach City Councilmember Al Austin, left, speaks to the crowd to show his appreciation of the Afrikan Cultural Research and Study Group of Long Beach’s 23rd annual Kwanzaa celebration last Sunday.