Amid platefuls of black-eyed peas, rice and peach cobbler, orange balloons and live jazz music, the University community celebrated an early Kwanzaa karamu -- "feast" in Swahili -- last night.
Hosted by the Makuu Black Cultural Resource Center, at least 200 students, staff, faculty and community members gathered in Houston Hall for the annual African-American and Pan-American celebration.
Karlene Burrell-McRae, the director of Makuu, said she believes Kwanzaa is a good opportunity "to connect the community together."
"I think Penn is an interesting place to do that because it's nice to be in a place where people get to celebrate who they are, but also have the opportunity to share with other folks," Burrell-McRae added.
The holiday is celebrated globally from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, but here on campus it is celebrated the first Thursday of every December.
"When everyone's studying and we don't really have time to come together, it's good to have this sense of community and a sense of foundation to come back together every once in a while," College senior Kiel Berry said.
The event included a libation to remember ancestors, a ceremonial table setting, candle lighting and a presentation of the principles of Kwanzaa. University President Amy Gutmann made an appearance as well.
Makuu Office Coordinator Constance Gordon, the main coordinator of the event, was "thrilled" with the turnout.
"I'm just ecstatic that all these people came," she said. "I'm really happy, it turned out really nice."
Organizers said this year they emphasized the universality of the event by implementing extra campus outreach efforts.
"This year, we're reaching outside the black community and we're really trying to get other people to come," College junior Dara Norwood said.
Indeed, a diverse range of people of all races and ages, within and outside the Penn community, turned out for the celebration.
"I hadn't heard about Kwanzaa before this event," first-year School of Design graduate student Gregory Sparks said. "I heard about this event [through another cultural center] and it's really nice that I got to be here. I think it's awesome that it can spread to other people like me, I guess."
Following the ceremony, guests enjoyed a feast catered by Browns' Kitchen and Dahlak Restaurant while listening to live music performed by Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble.
Kwanzaa was founded in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, a professor at California State University. A non-heroic, non-religious celebration, it is performed by the black community as an affirmation of cultural self-determination. Those who celebrate Kwanzaa strive to guide their lives by the seven principles of unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.
