Kwanzaa 57th Anniversary Celebration

Happy Black History 365!

Celebrating Black History also means supporting HBCU’s!

Your support is needed at the Luther Vandross Foundation’s Power of Love fundraiser Gala on 2/14/26!
The event aims to raise funds to support students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
Nationwide.

The LUTHER VANDROSS FOUNDATION is a tax-exempt 501 (c)(3) Nonprofit. To get your Ticket(s) or to Donate, please visit https://givebutter.com/LVF2026PowerofLoveGala.

The Gala will include live entertainment, dinner, dancing, a silent auction, and a celebration of three changemakers transforming the lives of young adults.

'A beautiful tradition': Philly kicks off Kwanzaa with a 9-foot-tall kinara City officials and community members kicked off Kwanzaa on Friday morning by lighting the black candle on a 9-foot-tall kinara with light bulbs.

Heri za Kwanzaa! (Happy Kwanzaa!)
The Kwanzaa Cooperative continues to be of service to the Philadelphia Tri-State Area and beyond since the 1980’s!

To learn more about Kwanzaa visit https://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/

How Philadelphia celebrates Kwanzaa's first day The City of Philadelphia is alive with the spirit of Kwanzaa as celebrations begin with the lighting of the kinara.

Kwanzaa is here 🕯️✨ Celebrate family, community and culture during this weeklong holiday using the Kwanzaa stamp!

Habari gani (What’s the news)???

Umoja (Unity)!

Today is first day of Kwanzaa!! Peace!

We kicked of the celebrations this morning at Philadelphia City Hall!!!

Come out Tri-State family to this wonderful Family Friendly action-packed with wonderful entertainment for all at the Central Branch Free Library! Also, anyone 17 years and younger get a free gift & lunch on 12/26/25 and on 12/27/25 from 12pm to 3pm! Please RSVP below.

Kwanzaa Celebration for All Ages (2-Day Celebration) Join us at the Parkway Central Library for a vibrant 2-day Kwanzaa Celebration filled with cultural activities and joy for all ages!

Tomorrow

The Mama Maisha Ongoza, the Chair of the Kwanzaa Cooperative will be on WURD Radio tomorrow, 12/23/25 at 8:40 am EST.

Habari gani?!(Whats the news?!)

Tomorrow listen to WURD on Solomon Jones’ show to hear a discussion about Kwanzaa and how the Kwanzaa Cooperative supports activities in the Tri-State area and beyond since the 1980’s.

We thank all of those in the Community, for partnering and sharing Kwanzaa with US over the years🖤❤️💚‼️

We look forward to keep being of service again this 2025-2026 year with presentations, workshops, programs and MORE!

We can be reached via email: [email protected] or by calling our Chair, Mama Maisha Ongoza at 215-385-0214.

To learn more about Kwanzaa that was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga, visit:
https://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/ a

Click here to learn about some Philadelphia local Kwanzaa Programs. https://www.visitphilly.com/articles/philadelphia/kwanzaa-in-philadelphia/ #2025-kwanzaa-kick-off-at-city-hall

Habari gani?! (What’s the news?!)

It's the 2025 Kwanzaa Kick-off at City Hall in Philadelphia, PA!

Mayor’s Reception Room 202

Friday, December 26th, 10 am EST

(Sign in at the NE Corner Visitor’s Entrance)

Creative Philadelphia, in partnership with the Kwanzaa Cooperative, kicks off the weeklong Kwanzaa holiday with a vibrant unity celebration at City Hall. The event will include remarks from City officials, singing, performances from the Tyehimba African Drum and Dance Ensemble, and the ceremonial lighting of the Umoja (Unity) candle, the first of seven candles and principles of the Kwanzaa kinara. As a Pan-African and African American holiday expressed in Swahili, one of the most widely spoken languages in Africa, the holiday brings families and communities together to honor ancestors and celebrate the values, history, community, and culture of the African diaspora.

The Nguzo Saba or seven principles of Kwanzaa are Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity), and Imani (faith).

This year, the opening event and ceremony will take place indoors in the Mayor’s Reception Room 202. After the event and for the duration of the holiday, the large City Hall Kwanzaa kinara will be on the south side of City Hall, facing South Broad St., near the statue of civil rights activist Octavius Catto. Each day, a new candle will be lit to reflect one of the seven principles.

Kwanzaa 57th Anniversary Celebration