Since the creation of Kwanzaa in the 1960s, the weeklong event has established itself as an annual celebration of community enrichment. Families are invited to “Celebrate Kwanzaa” Dec. 26, 6-8:30 p.m. at the Rudisill Regional Library, 1520 N. Hartford. This event is sponsored by the Tulsa City-County Library’s African-American Resource Center and the Tulsa Library Trust. Performers include African Chief Egunwale, African drummers, dancers and Louder Than a Bomb spoken word artists. Special guest Miss Ebony Clark, Miss Oklahoma Junior Pre-Teen winner, also will perform. Audience members are invited to showcase a talent during the “Mamanem” segment. “Kwanzaa is a community-wide celebration created by Maulana Karenga. Beginning the day after Christmas, the goal of Kwanzaa’s seven principles is to reaffirm the dignity of the community, celebrate the culture and promote the wellbeing of the family,” said Alicia Latimer, Tulsa City-County Library’s African-American Resource Center coordinator. “There is a ceremony to honor our elders and ancestors and children will receive a new book as a gift. Each year the library event grows more popular with the community.” The seven principles of Kwanzaa are: Umoja (unity) – Maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race. Kujichagulia (self-determination) – Define, name, create and speak for ourselves. Ujima (collective work and responsibility) – Build and maintain community together and solve problems as a group. Ujamaa (cooperative economics) – Build and maintain stores and shops, and profit from them together. Nia (purpose) – Make building the community a collective vocation. Kuumba (creativity) – Do as much as possible to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than before. Imani (faith) – Believe in our people, parents, teachers and leaders. For more information on Tulsa City-County Library programming, call the AskUs Hotline, 918-549-7323, or visit the library’s webpage, www.tulsalibrary.org. # # #