1966 — 2026 · A 60th anniversary celebration

Six decades.
One enduring
tradition.

Honoring the people, principles, and possibilities that bring Kwanzaa to life—yesterday, today, and for generations to come.

Explore the story ↓ 2026 celebrations

Rooted in culture. Growing together.

Created in 1966, Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African celebration of family, community, and culture. As we mark its 60th anniversary, we honor the people who brought it into being, the generations who have carried it forward, and the children who will shape what comes next.

Meet the people behind Kwanzaa

Celebrating the communal origins of this communal, cultural celebration

A child’s question helped inspire a celebration. A community’s work brought it to life.

In December 1965, ten-year-old Kinamo Damu listened as her father, Ngao Damu, and Dr. Maulana Karenga discussed holidays and cultural practices. She wanted to know how African people celebrated and what children would enjoy in their own community. Her questions—and her call for a holiday of their own—helped spark the work that followed.

Under Dr. Karenga’s leadership, members of the Us Organization researched African cultural celebrations in Los Angeles libraries. George Subira led the research committee, which included Ngao Damu, Kicheko Davis, and others. Their shared work helped shape Kwanzaa’s practices, grounded in African first-fruits celebrations and connected to the Nguzo Saba.

By the fall of 1966, the research had developed into a new holiday. Its seven-day structure joined the celebration to the Seven Principles, and its first observances took place in Los Angeles. The tradition has continued to grow through the efforts of many people across generations.

Read the complete creation story on Kwanzaa.org
Black-and-white photograph of children standing in a row at the first Kwanzaa celebration, wearing hand-lettered signs that spell K-W-A-N-Z-A
A photograph from the first Kwanzaa celebration, presented on Kwanzaa.org. Kinamo Damu (Terri Bandele) is identified on the right, wearing a leopard-pattern hat.

Meet the creators, contributors, and ambassadors.

These introductions are adapted from the Kwanzaa Creators page. Follow the link above for the fuller biographies, photographs, and interviews.

Portrait of Dr. Maulana Karenga

Dr. Maulana Karenga

Founder & creator

The recognized creator of Kwanzaa, Dr. Karenga led the founding organization and contributed the holiday’s principal ideas. His work on Kawaida philosophy and the Nguzo Saba continues to inform the celebration.

Portrait of Terri Bandele (Kinamo Damu)

Kinamo Damu

Terri Bandele

The question that inspired

As a ten-year-old, Kinamo’s questions about African holiday traditions helped inspire Kwanzaa. She recalls her family making the first kinara from driftwood and candle holders, and has remained connected to the holiday.

Portrait of Ngao Damu

Ngao Damu

Elder & contributor

A respected elder of the Us Organization and Kinamo’s father, Ngao Damu participated in the research and early development of Kwanzaa. His family played a meaningful part in the first celebration.

Portrait of Kicheko Davis

Kicheko Davis

Educator & researcher

A cultural school teacher and member of the research committee, Kicheko Davis helped study African cultural celebrations. Her teaching, artistic work, and recollections connect the creation story to the children who first called for the holiday.

Portrait of George Subira

George Subira

Research committee leader

George Subira was selected to lead the committee researching traditions that informed Kwanzaa. An educator and author, he later became known for his work on Black business and economic empowerment.

Portrait of Sister Makinya Sibeko-Kouate

Makinya Sibeko-Kouate

Kwanzaa ambassador

Known as the “Mother of Kwanzaa,” Sister Makinya helped teach and organize Kwanzaa celebrations from the San Francisco Bay Area, sharing its message widely.

Portrait of Amiri Baraka

Amiri Baraka

Kwanzaa ambassador

A major voice in the Black Arts Movement, Amiri Baraka helped spread Kwanzaa and the teachings of Kawaida on the East Coast, alongside his cultural and community work in Newark.

Story and photographs from Kwanzaa.org’s Kwanzaa Creators page.

Kwanzaa FOR KIDS book cover
Inspired by a 10-year-old girl.

Engaging the Kwanzaa holiday from a new perspective

Kwanzaa FOR KIDS — and everybody else!

Every child can be a source of inspiration. Discover the story of Kinamo Damu, whose questions helped inspire the creation of Kwanzaa, and share the holiday’s meaning with the young people in your life.

A new book & curriculum

Kwanzaa FOR KIDS – and everybody else! shares a true story about the kids involved with the first Kwanzaa. Explore the book and a related curriculum in development, bringing history, the Seven Principles, and hands-on learning together for families and educators.

Explore the book  ·  Children’s resources

Sixty years of coming together.

From the first occasion to celebrations across generations, the spirit of Kwanzaa lives through the people who practice it.

  1. Dec 1965

    A question at the cultural school

    As Us Organization members discuss which holidays to keep, ten-year-old Kinamo Damu asks how African people celebrate, then insists, "We need our own holiday!"

  2. 1966

    Months in the library

    A research committee led by George Subira, with Ngao Damu, Kicheko Davis and others, studies African harvest celebrations in Los Angeles libraries.

  3. Fall 1966

    “Kwanza” on the blackboard

    Dr. Karenga introduces the new holiday to the Us membership by writing its name on the meeting-room blackboard. A third “a” is added soon after: seven letters for seven principles, and room for a seventh child in the first celebration.

  4. Dec 1966

    The first Kwanzaa

    The first night is celebrated in a Los Angeles apartment. Celebrations follow at the Aquarian Spiritual Center and, soon after, the first large public celebration at the Los Angeles Palladium.

  5. 1967

    West and East

    Sister Makinya Sibeko-Kouate meets Dr. Karenga at the Western Regional Black Youth Conference at Merritt College in Oakland. In July, Newark hosts the first Black Power Conference, with Amiri Baraka leading the effort and Dr. Karenga among its panelists.

  6. 1968

    The Kwanzaa Organizers

    Sister Makinya founds the Kwanzaa Organizers in the Bay Area. Her public celebrations through the 1970s and '80s earn her the name “Mother of Kwanzaa.”

  7. 2025

    The Nguzo Saba at sixty

    An Nguzo Saba 60th Anniversary Kwanzaa Celebration on December 28 introduces the Black Futures Children's Literary Series: STEM 'n 'Nem, “Kwanzaa, STEM, and the Seven Principles.” About the celebration

    Flyer for the Nguzo Saba 60th Anniversary Kwanzaa Celebration, December 28, 2025

  8. Dec 26, 2026

    Kwanzaa at sixty

    Sixty years since the first Kwanzaa, the celebration begins again. See the 2026 celebrations

The Nguzo Saba

Seven principles connect the celebration to a year-round practice of building and strengthening community.

  1. 01UmojaUnity
  2. 02KujichaguliaSelf-Determination
  3. 03UjimaCollective Work and Responsibility
  4. 04UjamaaCooperative Economics
  5. 05NiaPurpose
  6. 06KuumbaCreativity
  7. 07ImaniFaith
Explore the principles, symbols & traditions

The next chapter is ours to create.

We carry the principles forward in our homes, classrooms, communities, and imagination.

Celebrate in community.

Join us as we celebrate the holiday and put the Seven Principles into practice.

-- days --h --m --s until Kwanzaa begins

  1. Saturday · December 26

    Kwanzaa FOR KIDS

    WorldBeat Cultural Center

    San Diego, California

    A celebration for children, families, and community.

    1–4 p.m. · 2100 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101

  2. Saturday · December 26

    Umoja Night

    WorldBeat Cultural Center

    San Diego, California

    Gather in the spirit of unity on the first night of Kwanzaa.

    6–9 p.m. · 2100 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101

  3. Sunday · December 27

    Kujichagulia Day of Self-Determination

    Charles H. Wright Museum

    Detroit, Michigan

    Come together in celebration of self-determination.

    2–5 p.m. · 315 East Warren Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201

More from Kwanzaa.org

Explore the stories, resources, and community connections already available on the site.

Honor the legacy. Live the principles. Shape the future.

Heri za Kwanzaa!

Tuesday · December 29, 2026 · 5–7 p.m.

Kwanzaa and Ujamaa / Cooperative Economics: Preparing For the Next Sixty Years

The Afrikan Restoration Project’s 60th Anniversary Kwanzaa Program

Join a presentation on the return of TARP’s study group and how we can prepare for economic changes coming with A.I. and robotics. The group will study Fundamentals of Economics by Dr. Tdka Maat Kilimanjaro, with additional insights from his book A.I., Africa & African Americans.

Study group returns January 14, 2027, meeting on the second and fourth Thursday of each month.

Register & access the program →

The Afrikan Restoration Project’s December 29, 2026 Kwanzaa and Ujamaa program flyer

© Kwanzaa.org. Presented by The Afrikan Restoration Project