The City of Holyoke hosted an observance of Kwanzaa on Saturday, December 28, at City Hall.

Kwanzaa, which is observed annually the last week of December, celebrates African heritage and Kwanzaa’s seven principles:

• Umoja (Unity) To strive for unity in the family, community, nation, and race;
• Kujichagulia (Self- Determination) To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves;
• Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) To build and maintain our community together and solve problems together;
• Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together;
• Nia (Purpose) To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community; 
• Kuumba (Creativity) To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than when we inherited it;
• Imani (Faith) To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

Holyoke’s observance was led by Theresa Cooper-Gordon and other members of the African American community.