West Windsor-Plainsboro’s commemoration of Kwanzaa, the annual event sponsored by the West Windsor-Plainsboro African American Parent Support Group, will be held at High School North Thursday, December 14, at 7:30 p.m. The event, free and open to the public, is being co-sponsored by the West Windsor and Plainsboro Human Relations committees, High Schools North and South, and African-American Awareness Clubs.##M:[more]##
“We hold cultural awareness events such as the annual Kwanzaa celebration to reinforce positive attitudes about our culture and identify as African-Americans in the school district and our world community,” says Barbara Edmonds, the event coordinator.
The evening includes a traditional Kwanzaa ceremony with the singing of the Black National Anthem, music, poetry, candlelighting, and dancing. Students, faculty, and community members will give reflections on the theme of the program, the seven principles of Kwanzaa.
The keynote speaker is Greta Gooden Brown of Plainsboro, a former president of the parent support group and the assistant attorney general and insurance fraud prosecutor in New Jersey. She oversees the investigation of all types of insurance fraud, and serves as the focal point for criminal, civil and administrative investigations, and prosecutions of insurance and Medicaid fraud within the state. She supervises a staff of 286 employees.
She is the former head of the Prosecutors and Police Bureau of the Division of Criminal Justice and served the Division of Criminal Justice for more than 18 years. Prior to heading up the Prosecutors and Police Bureau, she was the section chief of the Medicaid Fraud Section and of the Institutional Abuse Unit. She began her career with the Division as a Deputy Attorney General in the Appellate Bureau.
“We have placed much more focus in the recent year on addressing issues of the achievement gap facing our children in an extremely competitive school district, increasing recruitment and retention of African-American faculty in the academic and administrative policy making ranks, as well as increasing parental involvement in our children’s education and program development to address their needs,” says Edmonds.
The information fair following the program features Afrocentric items and resource tables with information about colleges, New Jersey Armistead Commission, United Negro College Fund.
Kwanzaa was founded in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, a leading theorist of the Black Movement, and celebrated from December 26 to January 1, says Cedric McClester in “Kwanzaa: Everything You Always Wanted to Know But Didn’t Know Where to Ask.”
Based on Nguzo Saba, the seven fundamental principles of unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. The seven symbols of Kwanzaa include fruit and vegetables, a place mat, a candle holder for seven candles, ears of corn, gifts, a community unity cup, and the seven candles.
Cedric writes that gifts should be based on merit and a concerted effort should be made to patronize community merchants. Books, art, educational toys, handicrafts, and ethnic dolls, are some of the recommended gifts to give during Kwanzaa.
Kwanzaa Celebration, West Windsor-Plainsboro African American Parent Support Group, High School North, Grovers Mill Road, Plainsboro, 609-716-5100. www.ww-p.org. Thursday, December 14, 7:30 p.m.
