Vendors celebrate Kwanzaa through merchandise highlighting community and cultural ties: ‘I’m selling love’

Vendors selling portraits, jewelry and clothing lined a hallway at Malcolm X College on Tuesday, kicking off the first day of a weeklong celebration of Kwanzaa.

Manuel Corona Sr., a jeweler who came from Milwaukee, was at the college to celebrate by reconnecting with community members he hasn’t seen in years while selling purses, sterling silver jewelry and other accessories, some of which were imported from countries such as Brazil and Egypt.

“The jewelry is nothing but the culture,” said Corona, owner of Khepra Jewelers. “We love coming to Kwanzaa here because it gives us a chance for fellowship. This is like our church.”

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Kwanzaa, the weeklong holiday celebrating the African heritage and history within African American culture, began Tuesday with various events around the city, including at Malcolm X College.

“Kwanzaa is all about reflection, about ensuring that you’re living the values and the dreams that our forefathers set and established way back in the motherland to make sure people lived a life that was pleasing,” David Sanders, president of Malcolm X College, told the Sun-Times.

Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by activist and author Maulana Karenga as a way to reaffirm African heritage and culture, and reinforce the seven principles, which represent the seven days of the holiday. The seven principles are: umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work and responsibility), ujamaa (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity) and imani (faith).

Rodney Wright, owner of Image Makers Photography, presented various portraits he took as a way to “capture every aspect of Black love.”

“I’m selling love,” Wright, 52, said about his portraits. “I just wanted to bring a quiet elegance [through my photography.]”

“Kwanzaa really defines who we are as a people and the different cultural and spiritual aspects of who we are uniquely,” Wright said.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Lea Afia Bempah has celebrated Kwanzaa since she was a little girl. She has relatives from West Africa, and her parents emphasized “making sure we knew where we came from.”

Bempah, a certified herbalist, says her remedies and handcrafted or plant-based items are connected to Africa and the African American community — something she feels is important when celebrating Kwanzaa.

“Kwanzaa is community, and also the community starts with the individual,” Bempah said. “Plant medicine is about community. ... And that’s supported in [individual] wellness and health.”

A couple of hours after vendors set up their displays, dozens of community members gathered in the auditorium of Malcolm X College for drum and dancing performances, speeches celebrating the history and meaning of Kwanzaa, and the lighting of the first candle to mark the first day of the weeklong celebration.

“Everybody needs to grab hold of the values that Kwanzaa talks about, every single day,” Sanders said to the crowd. “It is an important celebration that we will have every year, as long as there is breath in me and I am the president of Malcolm X.”

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Celebrations of the holiday include different rituals each day, drumming, dance performances and live music. Seven candles — one black, three red and three green, with each representing one of the principles — are lit one by one each day.

Other celebrations throughout the Chicago area were planned for the next week.

Contributing: Kade Heather