2011: Kwanzaa: Imani

Happy 2011! Today is the last day of the Kwanzaa celebration that began on December 26, 2010. We light the seventh and final candle of the kinara in observance of Imani (faith). This date commemorates our faith in ourselves, our family, our community and our culture. It renews our collective faith in our past, present and future.

I've always thought it appropriate that this feast of Imani, the final day of Kwanzaa, is on the first day of the new calendar year. The holiday began in the old year and ends in the new one, linking our past to our future. Happy Kwanzaa!