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December 2020

2020 Annual Kwanzaa Theme

Each year, the theme for Kwanzaa is posted on the Official Kwanzaa Website which can be found here: https://officialkwanzaawebsite.org/index.html. The website is also replete with information on the history of Kwanzaa, the meaning and significance of its symbols and principles, as well as other valuable information. The Official Kwanzaa Website should be your first stop for all things Kwanzaa. 

This year’s very appropriate theme is “Kwanzaa and the Well-Being of the World: Living and Uplifting the Seven Principles”.

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What You Need to Know to Celebrate Kwanzaa

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This week we celebrate Kwanzaa. It was created in 1966 and is celebrated each year from December 26 - January 1. Kwanzaa (notice the extra ‘a’) means “first fruits”. 

 

Kwanzaa pays homage to harvest festivals  and was designed to unite and uplift the Black community. It is not anti-Christmas, as a matter of fact, Kwanzaa is non-religious and non-political. Families and friends gather each day of the week of Kwanzaa to celebrate one of the seven Principles of Kwanzaa (Nguzo Saba). 

 

Gather all of the Kwanzaa symbols and other items needed for the next seven days.

Symbols of Kwanzaa:

+ Kinara (candleholder)

+ Mkeka (mat)

+ Mishumaa saba (7 candles: (1) black, (3) red, and (3) green)

+ Kikombe cha umoja (unity cup)

+ Muhindi (ears of corn) or vibunzi - one ear of corn

+ Mazao (crops)

+ Zawadi (gifts)

 

There are two optional symbols:

+ Bandera Ya Taifa (red, black and green flag)

+ Poster of the Nguzo Saba (seven principles)

 

These items are not symbols but you will need them also:

+ Lighter or portable flame to light the candles

+ Water or other beverage for libations and the unity cup

+ Extra candles, especially the black candle. 

+ Table covering 

 

Do not feel compelled to have all of these items in order to celebrate Kwanzaa. Be creative. If you do not have a kinara, then create your own. Use your imagination. when my alumni association chapter started celebrating Kwanzaa in 1989 in Miami, we used drawings of the Kwanzaa symbols. Do not allow anything to prevent the education and uplift of our people. Where there’s a will there’s a way.


Christmas 2020: The Year We Will Never Forget

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On this beautiful and chilly day in South Florida, we give thanks for another day of life, strength and health. Inarguably, 2020 has been a year that we will not forget. Our lives have been disrupted. Many have experienced job loss, food insecurity, and homelessness. Most devastating of all has been the loss of lives.

As horrible as this year has been, it has reminded many of us of the power of our right to vote and actively engage in our community. This year has reminded us that material things are nice but there is nothing more valuable than the love of family and friends. We have been forced to pivot and call on the creative and entrepreneurial spirit our ancestors used to survive challenging times. We will be alright.

On this day, let's remember the reason for the season. Let's celebrate the birth of Jesus and always be mindful of God’s love for each and every one of us. As we continue to adjust to the impact of COVID-19, let us never forget God’s Grace. Let us remain hopeful and helpful in His name.

Merry Christmas to You and Yours!

Happy Birthday, Jesus Christ!

 

 


High Marks for Gallon’s “Light Found in the Dark”

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Raw, gritty, powerful, and unapologetic,” were the words used by DeAnne Connolly Graham to describe the film. She was among the over 100 attendees for the advanced screening of “Light Found in the Dark: The Life Story of Dr. Steve Gallon III”, a new documentary capturing the life story of School Board Vice-Chair and lifelong educator Dr. Steve Gallon III. The advanced screening was held on Saturday, December 5, 2020 at the Historic Ward Rooming House and hosted by the Point Comfort Art Fair and Show, along with the Southeast Overtown/Park West CRA. Gallon, who has served as a teacher, principal, district administrator, and Superintendent of Schools before being elected as School Board Member for District 1, teamed up with local artists Arvis Lawson and James ‘Munch” Mungin II on the project as Executive Producer with Lawson serving as Director and Mungin as Producer.

 

“Yes, this is an art gallery focused on art, specifically Black art,” said Christopher Norwood, organizer of the Point Comfort Art Fair and Show who reached out to Gallon and his team about featuring the film. “Tonight, Dr. Gallon, Arvis, and James are artists. They are using Dr. Gallon’s life as a canvas, a work of art, to educate, enlighten, and inspire,” he said as he gave opening remarks before presenting the film.

 

Light Found in the Dark focuses on the life of renowned educator, Dr. Steve Gallon III, who rose from the streets of Miami’s Liberty City to become a teacher, principal, Superintendent, and now the Vice Chair of the Miami-Dade County School Board, the nation’s 4th largest school district. Part 1 of the three part documentary examined and explored Gallon’s deeply personal, often problematic, and even painful period growing up in Liberty City. The 1980’s Liberty City riots, the deaths of childhood friends and even the senseless killing of a popular Miami-Dade County Schools teacher by a childhood associate provided grim context and setting during Gallon’s formative years. The film uses Gallon’s real life in framing the narrative and struggle of young Black males decades ago and even today, and their continued struggle, no matter their place in today’s society, to avoid pitfalls which too often lead to prison, poverty, or an early death.

 

Miami-Dade County Public Schools teacher and Liberty City native and activist Amber Hayward took to Facebook to give kudos to the production. “Goosebumps all night! Talking about an event that left you feeling amazing,” she said. “I felt so proud to be a product of Liberty City. I was so proud because Dr. Steve Gallon told his story, so many of our stories, and he made us feel good.”

 

Among the attendees with one of Gallon’s older brothers who was highlighted in the film and served time in prison, was another person featured in the film, who Gallon expressed strong respect and adoration for, and who was the “brother” from another mother. Leon, who Gallon recognized in the audience, served 25 years in federal prison and was released in 2012 to join him and his family when Gallon buried his late mother, Virginia. “It was a tale of two criminal justice systems---two different outcomes for essentially the same charge. My brother pleaded guilty and served 5 years. Leon went to trial and was sentenced to 30 years and served 25. The system essentially punishes you more harshly for fighting…for challenging it,” Gallon shared with the audience during the Q & A with him, Lawson, and Mungin which was moderated by Norwood.

 

“Gallon’s life story and journey reflect yet another iteration in the narratives told by Claude Brown in Manchild in the Promise Land and Nathan McCall in Makes Me Wanna Holler,” said Norwood and we are proud that the film was debuted at the Point Comfort Art Fair and Show right here in Overtown.

 

The evening included a live performance by local HipHop/Rap artist Gemhe Real, who performed his original song “Tunnel Vision” which served as the film’s lead soundtrack. Gemhe Real is a former student of Gallon’s at Miami Northwestern where Gallon served as principal. Real shared the impact that his former principal had on his life. “Dr. Gallon saved lives” said Real. “I know because he saved mine and never gave up on me. I am blessed to be up here reppinOvertown, the West, and this film and Doc’s life and message through my music.

 

The next screening is planned for February 2021.

 

View the film’s trailer at https://youtu.be/jxTRh1VQiec

 

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Dr. Steve Gallon III, James “Munch” Mungin II, and Arvis Lawson


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Photos:   Dennis Manuel