The Port City Review December 2022 Edition #1

Port Wentworth Jobs and Redesigned Growth by and for Citizens

By C.J. Smith, Ph.D. Candidate

Annexation beginning in 1989 marked growth for the City of Port Wentworth, Georgia along a 21-mile corridor on Boney Bridge Road to welcome an industrial corridor. Now for over two decades the City of Port Wentworth, Georgia has benefited from growth in jobs as a result of the Georgia Port Authority (GPA). Now complete as of March 2022, the 32 mile-$973 million Savannah Harbor Deepening Project (SHEP) launched in 2015, expands the Georgia Ports Authority from 42 feet to 47 feet deep. SHEP meant larger-huge container vessels or cargo ships could enter the GPA bringing more containers and jobs to create additional local distribution centers and warehouses in Port Wentworth and Savannah.

Expansion has brought over thirteen (13) distribution centers and warehouses to Port Wentworth, Amazon, IKEA, Dollar, Wal-Mart, Target, Noritake Company, Schilli, Con Global Industries, Cargo Group, Port City Logistics, NFI, CST, Wayfair and EctroLux. However, not all Port Wentworth distribution centers and warehouses have a Port Wentworth address or benefit the City of Port Wentworth, which have been annexed to the City of Savannah.

Another seven (7) distribution centers and warehouses like, Ashley Furniture,

Supply Chain, Tradeport Logistics, Home Depot, Lowes, Ocean Link and R & S Logistics, have City of Savannah addresses. Many of the Port Wentworth warehouses and distribution centers are regulated by the City of Savannah. Companies like Port City Logistics invest $80 million into a 50,400-foot new facility on Highway 21 in Port Wentworth, which equates to 200 new jobs for Port Wentworth residents.

Simultaneously, Port Wentworth experiences a growing number of BIOPIC populations migrating from Savannah to better opportunities and

Port Wentworth

increased wages to balance more affordable housing. The Great Exodus of Savannah (Downtown, East and West Savannah) marks displacement yes for BIOPIC populations from the Savannah Urban Core, however, Port Wentworth benefits in a win for population growth. While Savannah transforms from urban decay to gentrification replaced with transient and temporary residents, Port Wentworth looks to the comparative advantage of growth and industrialization. That is, Port Wentworth citizens have the power in Redesign of their City, which means investments in safer and better communities and roads. Therefore, in many ways industrialization and growth means major victories for local residents. The migration of BIOPIC populations dominates Port Wentworth and serves as the primary culprit for immediate CAT (Chatham Area Transit) expansion for Port Wentworth. In 2019, a half million jobs existed in the Georgia

Port Expansion. A billion federal and state dollars were spent to protect fish and wildlife along the Savannah Harbor. Another $1 billion in federal and state dollars could be spent in Port Wentworth to integrate Complete Streets or Smart Growth in Port Wentworth.

Complete Streets is a redesign to make communities safer for pedestrians, motorists and bikers in commutes to and from.

Elements of Complete Streets include public transit expansion, more sidewalks and bike/walk paths along Highway 21. Holistically, as Port Wentworth continues to grow and transform, citizens have the element of say and ownership. Port Wentworth residents have the opportunity to contribute significant public input to assert positive change in modernizing the city to improve the overall quality of life of the city rather than fracture their community vs. annexation in past decades.

Education Savannah-Chatham County School District: A Model of Achievement

By Isaiah Jobe Winn & Robert Bryant, Ph.D.

Dr. M. Ann Levett was named Superintendent of Schools in 2017 after serving as both Deputy Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer after her return to Savannah in 2013. Since her tenure began, Dr. Levett has implemented strategic ideas that have led to the success we see in our schools today. In fact, our district celebrates a graduation rate well over 90%, achieving a greater outcome than the State of Georgia. Students within our schools are given opportunities through the Office of College & Career Readiness to pursue multiple pathways that allow them to graduate ready for college, military, and the workforce. We have embarked upon a new way of working that is rooted in a system of excellence that starts with the leadership set by the superintendent.

Dr. Levett is passionate about ensuring our school system is built on equity in order to ensure that all of our students have what they need in order to graduate prepared for successful futures. She has worked tirelessly to increase access to prekindergarten and early learning experiences, earned national recognition for increasing student access to apprenticeship programs, reducing student referrals to juvenile court, and increasing student access to advanced courses

Dr, M. Ann Levett

Including Dual Enrollment, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and gifted services. She has also ensured that the district is able to offer 1:1 device for all 37,000 students, access to high quality learning materials, and through the E-SPLOST program, the district has been able to renovate and construct top-of-the-line schools and learning facilities.

Dr. Levett has also worked to create strong partnerships with our community leaders in the Savannah-Chatham area which has led to the development of new programs and academies within our schools, including a Health Clinic at Beach High School and a 3DE Junior Achievement Academy. Most recently, through a grant from Georgia Power, she and the Board of Education have started a new Early Learning Center, the Little Acorn Academy at Gould Elementary School.

Her passion for education has allowed her to rise through the ranks of the educational system, serving now as the leader of the very system she is a product of. Her love for the community drives her excitement for seeking change and implementing programs that will bring even greater success for our students. Her ability to remain poised has allowed her to receive critical feedback and use smart measures to maintain steady growth.

Dr. Levett and her team of educators have worked tirelessly to ensure that our district is one that puts students first. Though it can be difficult at times, every decision made by Dr. Levett has over 36,000 reasons behind it as she ensures the district is always doing what is best for our students.

What is OUR Black Media?

(An interview with Julius Hall)

By Christopher Smith

What is OUR Black Media, how did it get started, and what is its function?

OUR Black Media is a platform created by Myself, Charlie Brown, and Alicia Scott. I am the CEO and President of the company. We started this platform after we noticed a void in what the mainstream media was delivering to our community. There was no truthfulness in their reporting, no balance, and absolutely no fairness. News about us was for the most part always negative, unless it was a story about how a black person was making life better for anyone other than his/her own community. So, we birthed ATR, All Things Relevant Media. After building the platform from one show, to now over twenty-five shows, we saw where we needed to cover all the bases, so we transformed into OUR Black Media. ATR is still there as the parent company and is operating as a political consulting and marketing machine. Our main purpose since October 19th, 2019, to today, has been to change things where we live and inform and engage the people.

What does OUR stand for? O= Outspoken, U= Unapologetic, R= Real

Where do you see this platform in 5 years?

I’m hoping and praying that we become the model for the correct distribution of relevant information into the African American community.

How many different shows do you have and what are the most popular shows?

We currently have 25 different shows airing 7 days a week. We have 7 more shows slated to start before January 2023. We have also started two monthly magazines. Our top five most popular shows are Financial Sins, Tell It Like It Is, Kesha Gibson Carter, The Watch Dawgs and The Rabble.

Julius Hall, CEO & President

Spotlight on Business

What subjects do you cover with your shows?

We began primarily covering Politics, and now we feature shows that cover Religion, Sports, History, Natural Health, Finance, Food, Real Estate, Comedy, Black Business, Youth Perspectives, Love & Relationships, Mental Health, Injustice, and more.

How many viewers does this platform currently have and where can the shows be found?

We currently have anywhere from 20,000 to over 38,000 viewers per month, and that is with no marketing yet. We can be found on Facebook at OUR Black Media, on YouTube at OUR Black Media and we are currently streaming our most popular shows on Roku TV. You can tune in from your phone, on your computer or from your smart TV at home.

How did you get all these different people to tag in on your vision and this concept?

I’m a people person, I just asked most of them, the others I either recruited or they found me. It is often said that in business you must think outside of the box, but in my mind, there is no box.

Is there anybody else doing what you’re attempting to do?

There are a few people doing it, but they all have the capital to fund themselves, including Sean Puffy Combs at Revolt TV.

What else would you like to share with the readers of this column about OUR Black Media?

Join us, help us, watch us, invite your friends to watch, and share, share, share. We welcome donations and to black owned businesses, I ask that you consider becoming a sponsor of the platform and share your message with OUR audience.

Who has helped you the most in getting to this point?

Besides my wife Tonia, for being patient and not throwing all the computers out the house, two of my daughters, Stardacia and Eden, Dr. Jamal Toure, Dr. Robert Bryant, Charles Shaw, Alicia Scott, Natalie Leggette, Natasha Scott, Charlie Brown, Bernard Brown, my new righthand Chris Smith, Pastor Leonard Small and the many show hosts who give their time and effort each day to help build what we are building.

What’s the next big steps? Advertising and Sponsorships to keep us going and to help us get to the next level. Then trying to get Tyler Perry, Byron Allen, Oprah Winfrey, or some major player to invest in this vision.

Growing Pains

By: Chantaye McLaughlin

What’s next for the citizens of Port Wentworth? With the Moratorium on new industrial construction ending soon in Chatham’s only city with Port In it’s name, what will be the decision of the city council? Will they end it, or extend it? Will there be some type of report issued to the citizens of Port Wentworth? What exactly has been happening in the six months leading up to the next decision on how to proceed?

Growth is inevitable. Port Wentworth is set to prosper, when other cities across the country are on the verge of a recession. For a port city as small as Port Wentworth, the time is right for their elected officials to think BIG. The city is without many of the amenities that every city needs to keep their citizens happy. There’s no bank, no post office, no mechanic shops, no clothing store, and no good sit down and fine dining restaurant within the city’s border.

December is only a few weeks away. This city needs strong ,focused, and visionary leadership. We can’t let heavy traffic stop the upward development of this city. The December city council meeting will tell us what direction we’ll be heading in.

With the failure of the recent TSPLOST referendum, questions will be raised about where we’re going to get funding to complete the major projects that are promised. Watch this space for information and stay informed and engaged.

Photo Credit WTOC

Are you ready for some football

By The Coach

The 2022-2023 football season is in full swing, and we’ve had some big surprises so far. Let’s start with college football: Alabama barely squeezes by Texas. Kentucky dominates Florida. Marshall upended Notre Dame. Appalachian State downs Texas A&M. Georgia wins by 33 instead of 63. Clemson struggles with lowly Furman. But in the biggest surprise of this early college football season, Georgia Southern stuns Nebraska 45-42.

This is the second big upset the Ga. Southern Eagles have had since moving to D1. They upset the Florida Gators a few years back. But in the biggest surprise that happened because of the Ga Southern win, was that on the very next day, Nebraska fired its head coach for losing to a team like Ga Southern. In college football, it’s win now, or be gone. And if you let a team that isn’t ranked in the top 50 beat you, it’s your job on the line. This should be a pretty interesting season we have ahead of us. Stay tuned. Now, to the NFL. GB and Aaron Rogers fall to the Vikings. Kansas City looks like the team to beat as they crushed Arizona. The Bills Bested the Super Bowl champs Rams. TB and Tom Brady look to go back to the big game after acquiring Julio Jones and soundly defeating the Cowboys. The Falcons do what they always do, lose games late. Cleveland beats Baker Mayfield and his new team Carolina.

The Steelers handle Cincinnati and Joe Borrow. And despite turning down a 250million-dollar new contract, Lamar Jackson leads Baltimore to a win over the jets. Week 3 of college football season and week 2 of the NFL should be pretty exciting. They say that the only thing that separates the top team from the bottom team is a missed block, a missed tackle, or a dropped pass. I’m locked in until February.

In Other Sports News

Serena Williams exits gracefully. Frances Tiafoe is the next big thing in Professional Tennis. The New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves look to battle for their division title all the way down to the wire. The WNBA championship is all set. And the NBA kicks off in a few

Life for Homeless Women in Our Community

By C.J. Smith, Ph.D.

In 2020 there’s a lot of information to unpack when considering the issue of Americans, “unsheltered. ” People who are considered unsheltered are Americans without a home…homeless. Homeless is defined as, “individuals without housing, employment, and secure solutions,” which would break the unsheltered cycle to end their homelessness.

U.S. data estimates 10,000 homeless in Georgia, and roughly 1/3 are outside of cities. In 2019, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs reported 2, 362 unsheltered in Georgia. Numbers have increased since 2017 from 1,843 unsheltered. However, numbers do not account for people simply displaced or without shelter as a result of the 2020-2022 COVID Pandemic. Rising housing costs, rent costs and high employment increased the result of many Americans unable to stay in more permanent shelter.

According to the Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless (CSAH) , 610 individuals were unsheltered in Chatham County, which 234 were homeless veterans. CSAH served 4,058 served by continuum care partners. Chatham County has 30 unregulated homeless camps.

Women undoubtedly serve the hardest struggle with additional issues as unsheltered individuals. Women weigh human trafficking, children, trauma, rape, domestic violence and sexual discrimination on top of homelessness. Locally, 40% of unsheltered women have experienced sexual assault, and another 70% of unsheltered women are domestic violence survivors. According to the Union Mission 180 women are unsheltered in Chatham County as of 2022.

The number of homeless shelters in Chatham County are limited for single women, or what is now referred to as, “unaccompanied. ” Five (5) existing shelters function before the Parker’s Women’s House just opened at the old J.C. Lewis Health Care Center on Fahm Street.

1. Safe Shelter shelters women escaping domestic violence.

3. Union Mission’s Magdalene Project shelters women with children.

5. The Salvation Army provides Emergency shelters for all populations

2. The Living Vine shelters pregnant women.

4. The Inner City Night Shelter Emergency shelter for all populations

6. The Parker’s Women’s House

In collaboration with Union Mission, the Parker’s Women’s House is the only women’s shelter specifically for “unaccompanied” or single women. Parker’s House currently serves 32 women at time. Women receive a bed, food, clothing, mental health care, and job training. On a very hot Sunday afternoon, I spoke with a few unsheltered women when I was strolling through Forsyth Park. They spoke on the horrific issues they encounter as homeless women in local co-ed shelters. They shared that the local showers are, “deplorable exposing us to mold.” They also said, “we cannot get help for mental health checks, or medical care. ” The three unsheltered women I spoke with said it is hard to get identification needed to navigate local services. However, after further investigation and discovery, CSAH provides a homeless verification document, which unsheltered persons can get for J.C. Lewis Healthcare, obtaining a voter registration card, and other local services.

The biggest discovery and complaint among the unsheltered women I spoke with was, tank tops. The challenge is that much of the clothing distributed in the summer to homeless women are tank-tops, which cannot be worn in the Salvation Army. The women reported, “They tell us we sexually provoke the men if we wear tank-tops. So tank-tops aren’t allowed. We wear tank-tops, we don’t get housing for the night!”

Advocates and women’s activists must get to work assisting unsheltered women with clothing and needed personal items in the effort to ease their struggle and aid them in securing both shelter and services..

Culture Gullah Observations

"Oppressed people behave or manifest the following actions"

By Amir Touré

EDUCATION

They allow their oppressor to educate themselves and their children. Their oppressor can miseducate or intentionally lie regarding history and culture. The education of the oppressed does not empower (all of) them. And the empowerment of some of them is still based on the standards that the Oppressor wants them to value even if it goes against the spiritual, cultural, historical, moral norms of the oppressed people. Oppressed people do not create a system or program to counter the miseducation –they in fact embrace the education and set that as the standard for them to follow in order to achieve. The Oppressor’s educational system will not treat the Oppressed people fairly or equally.

They will undereducated them also, if not deny them education (in manners such as such expulsion, suspension, de facto/neo segregated education –underfunding education for Oppressed people). Oppressed people do not challenge the standards of the Oppressor even if it leads to or causes destruction. Oppressed people feel that they have no control or power to change so they go along with the decisions of the Oppressor. The Oppressed attempt to measure up to the standards of the oppressor even though the standards may be antithetical to the Oppressed person’s best interest. The Oppressed at times have a better system to educate everyone equally and with success given intentional limited resources. “They had to make do with what they had too in order to be better and to achieve.”

ECONOMICS

Oppressed people do not build economically with each other. They economically support the operations of those who oppress them. They fail to realize that goods and services can be provided to them if they support their communities first then support others. Economics in oppressed communities are sometimes underground economies which at times skirt the law. When pe members of their group. They can then catapult into creating financial institutions in their group that can make loans, provide financial assistance, and/or create small personal or informal lending groups (such as susus, and etc.).

Capital can be generated which can be used to build greater wealth within the group. Redlining, commercial insurance discrimination, lack of capital funding or etc. would not be complete detriment to entrepreneurs with the Oppressed people. They will gain economic clout and power that resonates to bring about a measure of financial independence and power for their group.

Oppressed people do not produce but consume. Consumerism is not economic development for Oppressed people. When you produce or when you create products or services for economic consumption for the public that is the real generation or formation of wealth. Oppressed people based their collective wealth on them 1. working jobs 2. being paid a salary or wages 3. they spend the salary or wages 4. some may save of the wages or salary 5. their wealth is subjected to whim of others regarding employment – if they lose the job then they lose consumer economic power, the power to consume or spend is lost.

Oppressed people don’t realize that if you control the production, manufacturing, creation, or the service they are creating assets that are apart of wealth building and wealth maintenance. Oppressed people become marginalized or commercialized to point that wealth or economic prosperity is to be in one’s pocket, displayed, worn, or driven in the most ostentatious ways. They seek to keep up with the Joneses in appearance and show but not in bank accounts, long term investments or future investments. Money is spent frivolously, and they are one check a way from financial ruin. Building real economic wealth not consumer spending as a barometer of wealth for Oppressed people. Oppressed people must realize that it must be about generational wealth.

You cannot morally or ethically blame the person who was abused or sexually assaulted for the actions of the aggressor/criminal that abused or assaulted them. The oppressor’s system is never criticized and in fact…chirp chirp chirp… you can only hear the crickets when they go on their tirade against Oppressed people. Many times, Oppressed people are the worst critics because the other marginalized Oppressed people are making the rest of the good or acceptable Oppressed people look bad.

SOCIAL CRITIQUING

Oppressed people will call out and criticized the victims of oppression and not criticized the system that oppress people. The critics of Oppressed people are numerous, and they are harsh towards those underserved people or marginalized focus, yet those critics are never harsh on the system that brought about the conditions that we see.

The situation for Oppressed people just didn’t start one day (“poof” Oppressed people act like this or do that now “poof”). There is a genesis a beginning and direct causal relationship to the actions of the Oppressor. Never do I hear the Oppressed person who is a critic discuss the causal issues. I understand why the Oppressor will not discuss their dirty hands in the causal relationships and effects regarding the actions of Oppressed people, but the acceptable

“Oppressed people must realize that it must be about generational wealth.”

Oppressed people are either too naïve, stupid (yes, stupid), ignorant (yes, ignorant), simple minded, hypocritical, or sinister (yes, sinister) to intellectually or analytically assess and challenge or criticize the actions and operations of the Oppressor.

Oppress people blame Oppress people and leave the Oppressor alone because they have “power, influence, my salary/wages or they like me”. Oppress people who criticized without making everyone culpable are like Pitbull dogs for the Oppressor (they are the gate keepers for the Oppressor, the buffers for the Oppressors).

Oppressed people do not challenge the political system. They wait on someone else to change the system. Or they wait on God to change the system, or they blame God for the current system (“you know these are the last days…the Messiah is about to come”). Frederick Douglass, one the greatest Americans, said the following addressing oppression/inequality in the U.S. in the 1800s: “This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, and it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to, and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the

endurance of those whom they oppress. ” - Frederick Douglass, August 3, 1857, Again, Power concedes nothing without a demand. Oppressed people especially some who contend that they are conscious and aware will utter statements that they don’t get involved in politics or the system. Some Oppressed people who are marginalized socioeconomically, legally, and educationally will say voting or politics won’t change anything. Frederick Douglass told Oppress people and the world over 150 years ago, what will happen if you do nothing. Political oppression will not end until power is seized or influenced. If Oppressed people do not seek power politically then they are subject to the whims of the Oppressor.

Fredrick Douglass

The legal system will operate without equality and Oppressed people will be incarcerated more and punish more severely, civil cases will not recoup the same awards or judgments, loss of land and communities will occur frequently and removal from communities, Oppressed people who are victims will not be compensated fairly, the lives of Oppressed people will not be valued thus their death, pain and suffering will not be valued. The political system will disenfranchise Oppressed people and they will not act to prevent or thwart those efforts because it is a part of “God’s plan” or that’s how it is those people (Oppressor) are going to do what they want to do. Oppressed people will allow a system to oppress them, and they just endure it. Oppressed wait for someone else to come along to make the change instead of looking at themselves (And finally standing up). The system will take their rights and property and no concerted voices of opposition are heard.

The elected officials of Oppressed people are elected based on social, family, religious, or job connections and not based on their ability to harness their intellectual skills, mental acumen, astuteness, or knowledge to work to alleviate political oppression, empower, and help develop political power for their oppressed group. The Oppressed politicians (governmental employees, also) are quiet and (liked) noted for being able to “get along with the Oppressor’s politicians” or work on behalf of the Oppressor’s

Political system. Politicians for the Oppress are not beholden to them oppressed constituents but are beholden to the Oppressor and their agents or politicians. Their communities are last in policies, resources and services and they don’t worry about the oppress constituents holding them accountable. Oppressed people will have Oppressed political consultants in their communities that sell them out for dollars that go into their pockets. They have no problem leading their community astray because an Oppressor politician has given money to mislead the communities (much like drug dealers in oppressed communities). Oppressed people will latch onto symbolically victories and let possible tangible (positive life altering) victories escape them.

Make Holiday Memories in Port Wentworth

By: Scott Lorenza

2022 could easily be considered the year that we came back outside. After two years of COVID 19 restricting our activities, 2022 has been a welcome breath of fresh air. As we push to embrace our new normal, two harsh realities have also hit home. #1. The cost of living has increased and #2. We lost many friends and family members over this trying period in our lives. The idea of spending time with our loved ones is cherished, especially during the holiday season.

Port Wentworth, Georgia offers several opportunities to create memories with your loved ones at little, to no cost, to you. Friends and family can enjoy a day out on the water at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, with direct access to both the Savannah River and the St. Augustine Creek at the Houlihan Boat Landing off Georgia Highway 25. Opportunities for families and friends to come together and enjoy the day. Whether hunting or fishing, boating, paddling, canoeing or kayaking, Port Wentworth’s waterways await with new memories on deck.

water is not your preference, Port Wentworth offers opportunities for you to carry your loved ones on a guided journey through history. Learn, explore and reflect as you drive around the Port City and take in the historic significance of our beloved home, rich in American history. Share and visit the many historic lands throughout our area with your children and out of town visitors.

Port Wentworth

Fellowship was certainly impacted by the pandemic and this year many churches have had the opportunity to come back and worship together. A visit to Port Wentworth’s historic African-American praise houses not only provides a glimpse into the past but demonstrates the need to preserve this history for generations to come. Built in the early 19th century, Praise Houses were located on each plantation or large community and today they are being restored and revived by Port Wentworth citizens.

Exploring Port Wentworth’s history and enjoying our vast outdoor resources is an opportunity you can take advantage of with your whole family! The hustle and bustle of the holiday season can be stressful on both the mind and the pockets. Right here in our very own hometown we have a chance to make priceless memories. Sharing stories of the one that got away, laughing about your aunt’s beginner squeals learning to maneuver a kayak or enjoying a local road trip to see the sites, this holiday don’t forget about the treasures we have right here at home.

White Oak Baptist,

Mount Moriah Baptist,

Richmond Baptist

Houston Baptist

Celebrating Kwanzaa

By: Scott Lorenza

Kwanzaa was founded in 1966, in the United States, by activist and educator, Dr. Maulana Karenga. Kwanzaa was derived from Kawaida. Kawaida is a coming together of pan-Africanist, nationalist and socialist ideologies. Dr. Karenga calls this philosophy Kawaida, which means tradition or reason in Swahili. His Kawaida philosophy of cultural and social change created and defined the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Dr. Karenga’s research of different African harvest celebrations was used to establish the foundation of the Kwanzaa celebration. The name Kwanzaa comes from the Swahili phrase, matunda ya kwanza, which means first fruits, or harvest. A celebration established by and for the black community. The seven principles or Nguzo Saba, are the key to the observation and celebration of this custom African American holiday.

Culture

Kwanzaa is celebrated December 26th through January 1st, each year. Preparation for the celebration includes symbolic representations, food and gifts.

Assembling the Kwanzaa display: A mat called a Mkeka is placed on the table. The mat is a symbol of tradition. The candleholder is placed on the center of the mat. The candleholder or Kinara holds candles called the Mishumaa Saba. Each candle represents a principle of Kwanzaa. A kikombe cha Umoja or Unity Cup is also placed on the mat. Fruits, vegetables, and nuts representing collective work and harvest adorn the tablescape as well as an ear of corn to represent each child in the home. Gifts for children complete the display and are distributed on January 1st, the last day of Kwanzaa.

It is custom to light one candle in the Kinara each day. There are three red candles on one side and three green candles on the other side, with one black candle in the middle. The first day of Kwanzaa begins with the lighting of the black candle or unity candle. This candle symbolizes the people. A red candle is lit on the second day for the bloodshed and past struggles. The third day, a green candle is lit, representing the earth and future abundance. The remaining four days red and green candles are lit alternately.

During the celebration there is a daily feast called the Karamu.

The feast features foods of the African diaspora to include black eyed peas, greens, rice, Hoppin’ John, cornbread, plantains, yams, jollof rice, peanut stew, curry chicken and gumbo to name a few. Partaking of the meal together is a strengthening of family and community.

The libation ritual is performed to honor the ancestors on the sixth day. This ritual is sign of unity and remembrance as the family and community drinks together. The sixth day of Kwanzaa also focuses on creativity or Kuumba. The black community contributes to the arts in every discipline. Celebrations on this day often include song and dance as well as artwork, music and spoken word. Traditional African clothing and/or textiles are displayed or worn paying homage to their ancestors.

The seventh and last day of Kwanzaa demonstrates the passing down of African American culture and heritage to the next generation through books and cultural gifts, giving children a knowledge of self. These gifts serve to encourage growth, achievement, and success. In the effort to promote self-determination, purpose, and creativity, handmade gifts are encouraged.

Each day of Kwanzaa requires reflecting on the principle of the day. The following pages will provide you with insight on each day so that we may remember understand the reason for this holiday celebration.

Kujichagulia Self-Determination

To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves. To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.

Cooperative

Ujamaa

Economics

To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.

Nia Purpose

To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

Imani

Faith

To believe with all our hearts in our people and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

First African Baptist Church Savannah, Georgia