NGUZO SABA (The Seven Principles) - Imani (Faith)

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To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle

How to Practice Imani

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Imani is defined as faith, which in turn is defined as a belief in and an unwavering trust and loyalty to a person, object or deity. Kwanzaa understands faith as believing wholeheartedly in your people, leaders, parents, teachers and the ultimate virtue of the fight for justice. Many celebrators during Kwanzaa take the seventh day, Imani, to reflect on their own individual faiths and spirituality.

1. Form a small group of other believers of the same religious faith as you and your family. Plan a time each day to pray together, either physically or just at the same time. This will foster a more spiritual sense during the Kwanzaa season.
2. Reflect on all that has happened in your life and to what purpose you may have been created. Explore deep within yourself your relationship to the center of your individual religion. If God is your center, then use this time to be closer to God.
   

Discover Other Ways to Practice Imani During Kwanzaa

1. Believe in the goodness and growth in your people. Kwanzaa teaches that you must learn to trust one another before you can expect the world to trust you. Living by example is an important beginner step.
2. Trust your parents and your community leaders. They have the experience that you need. By showing obedience in most matters, even those that you do not yet understand, you are proving your willingness to trust elders and experts.
3. Stand in your righteousness and the victory of your struggle. You must have a passion for the issues that plague your community most. You must be willing to stand in your convictions to improve the quality of life not only for your supporters of African decent, but to improve the quality of life for all people of the world.
4. Know in your heart and soul that the seven principles of Kwanzaa really do strengthen and celebrate family, community and culture.

NGUZO SABA (The Seven Principles) - Kuumba (Creativity)

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To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

How to Practice Kuumba

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Kuumba, described as "creativity," is observed on the sixth day during the Kwanzaa holiday season which runs from December 26 through January 1 every year. According to the tenets of Kwanzaa, being creative in all avenues of life can foster unexpected opportunities to improve its general quality. Unleashing your creativity in a variety of ways will not only open your mind to a plethora of unforeseen possibilities, but can also allow you to see deep within yourself and decide which areas of your life should take priority.

1. Join an organization in the community that encourages Kuumba. There are varieties of city-sponsored creative arts programs as well as diverse types of recreation areas that can be used to encourage creativity in youths and adults. Your local community center provides an ideal starting point.
2. Evaluate areas of your life that are in need of Kuumba. Typically, routines are a prime area for creative integration.
3. Create your own Kuumba group or organization in the community. Figure out what you are passionate about, then let the creative juices flow. For example, you could create a performance arts show that sends a message to the audience about how to creatively live out all seven principles during Kwanzaa.
4. Write a story or book and publish it either in print or on the Internet. One of the best ways to practice Kuumba during Kwanzaa is through reading or creating the written word. Many children first experience an opening of their Kuumba sides through the reading of stories.
5. Practice Kuumba this Kwanzaa season by creating music, whether singing or playing an instrument. Take an unconventional approach to your music by letting your thoughts out of the box and exploring areas in your musical mind that are unfamiliar and underutilized.

NGUZO SABA (The Seven Principles) - Nia (Purpose)

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To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

How to Practice Nia

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Nia, which is observed during the fifth day of Kwanzaa, is defined as purpose. You can obtain purpose in life by serving others in a variety of ways. This was essential to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, who stated that "service is the substance of greatness." To achieve greatness, we must practice serving others and understand sacrifice, so that we may be lifted up to higher levels of thought and obtain higher positions in life.

1. Serve your spouse and your immediate family in all that you do.
2. Act in a service capacity at work or on the job. You should diligently serve your employer by giving 100 percent in all of your job functions and duties on a daily basis.

Serve as a Volunteer

1. Volunteer at a retirement or convalescent home. Kwanzaa teaches that we must respect and learn from our elders, as they often have an advanced understanding of life.
2. Work in the educational school system in your area. This provides a wonderful opportunity to be a part of children's lives in a positive way and to have an impact on the future of your community.
3. Give your time in a local soup kitchen that provides those who are less fortunate with basic items such as food and temporary shelter.
4. Offer your services at a local library. They are frequently in need of helpers to restock books, read stories to children or participate in administrative tasks.
5. Serve as a volunteer at your local church. Here is where you can impact the lives of others on a spiritual and eternal plane. True Nia ultimately begins with the inner spiritual area of one's life.
   

NGUZO SABA (The Seven Principles) - Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)

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To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.

How to Practice Ujamaa

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Ujamaa, practiced on the fourth day of Kwanzaa, is defined during Kwanzaa as "cooperative economics." Cooperative economics offers everyone a fair and equal chance to work and enjoy life through relationships and the goods of this world. It is recommended to stop governmental and private corruption, unnecessary plunder, community pollution and resource depletion.

Choosing to practice Ujamaa can lead individual communities and large nations alike to become economically cooperative with other places around the world.

1. Try to influence leaders in your local community to support and enforce an equal and fair world trading system. By working together, all members of a society can benefit from trading items and technology with each other. Ideally, the end result would be a fair and economic world trade system allowing members of all societies the opportunity to prosper and enjoy life.
2. Petition for fair wages in your community. The Ujamaa day celebrated during Kwanzaa can be an important time to voice your concerns about the average societal wage. Gather others in your community and voice your opinions together.
3. Strive for fair opportunities for all members of society, no matter their background, race, religion or educational status.
4. Collaborate with other members of your community to protect the economic and commercial spheres from greed and evil. Individuals cannot accomplish this without the communal help of local business owners, corporate officers and governmental officials.
5. Display honest behavior in all your business and personal dealings. Utilizing a checks and balance system for economic commerce can help guide individuals and corporations in preserving an honest and ethical behavior pattern.

NGUZO SABA (The Seven Principles) - Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility)

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To build and maintain our community together and make our brother's and sister's problems our problems and to solve them together.

How to Practice Ujima

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Ujima is defined as the idea of a culture of collective work and responsibility. Realizing that members of a community must all be working for the common good to achieve happiness and satisfaction is a key component of Ujima. You must also realize that a commitment must be made to work and raise your family with a responsible and collective work ethic that should be passed on from generation to generation.

1. Live your life as an example to your children and your friends. You must go to work every day that you are able. Once you are there, you must work diligently, to the best of your ability.
2. Teach your children the value of working to earn money or items. They should also be taught the value of earning respect from not only employers, but neighbors and local community members as well. Your reputation is something that you must work hard at and earn over time.
3. Make it a point to appreciate those around you for what they do and for what they represent to you. You should always show appreciation for your spouse and your children. They are your gifts and your responsibility, so you should treasure them with all your heart.
4. Make responsible decisions for yourself and for your family. The right choices should be made that benefit all people involved, not just you. You should take time alone for a careful evaluation of the negative implications of any decision that involves others. Then make the best informed decision to benefit the majority.
5. Sacrifice for the common good. In order to be a good example, teacher or mentor, you must learn to occasionally sacrifice your own desires for the maximum benefit of others. This self-sacrificing characteristic will teach you many lessons in life that otherwise could never have been taught.
   

NGUZO SABA (The Seven Principles) - Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)

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To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.


How to Practice Kujichagulia
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Kujichagulia is defined as self-determination by African-Americans and others of African descent during the Kwanzaa holiday. Self-determination allows people to act and speak independently on a personal and public level. It requires confidence and self-evaluation as well as motivation. It is one of the seven principles or "Nguzo Saba" of Kwanzaa and is celebrated and practiced on a single special day during Kwanzaa and ideally continued throughout the year.

1. Plan and prioritize a list of goals that you hope to accomplish throughout your life. These can be short, medium or long term in nature. Begin the practice of Kujichagulia in relation to achieving your list of goals.
2. Picture yourself achieving each listed goal in your life. Studies have shown that positive imaging in the mind actually allows goal seekers to obtain more confidence in the possibility of achieving their goals as well as physically relaxing their bodies and minds in preparation for that action.
3. Learn from your mistakes by the results and outcomes of your previous decisions. The adage says that you can never learn from failure unless you have failed and you can never fail unless you have tried. Making decisions and learning from them is a part of growing and living and is also a key factor in learning self-determination.
4. Grow in knowledge in a variety of areas and subject matters. You should continue to seek knowledge wherever and whenever you can. Knowledge is the root of all power and power within oneself is the root of self-determination.
5. Keep your physical body healthy and active. A healthy body creates an healthy balance between emotions and intellect. To keep your mind sharp, you must consistently eat a healthy diet and stay physically active throughout your entire life.

NGUZO SABA (The Seven Principles) - Umoja (Unity)

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To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.

How to Practice Umoja

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1. Join an organization that has pledged to live out the practice of Umoja. This organization should be sponsoring events and informing the public about the importance of taking a unified stand on a particular issue important to your culture. The organization should also allow all of its members to live out other core principles during Kwanzaa.
2. Volunteer in the community to practice a form of Umoja. In order to unify a community, the members should be out and about helping one another and getting to know each other. Communities function best when their members are acquainted with one another in a personal and positive way.
3. Start a group or club in the community in an area that you are interested in and that you think would help unify the community in some way. It can be a book club, a childcare co-op or even a Bible study group. You can hold weekly or bi-weekly meetings or conferences at libraries, public recreational areas or private homes.
4. Walk down the street with a smile on your face. Stay positive throughout the day and let some of that zest for life spill over to and inspire others who see you. You can donate a good attitude to the community whenever you are in public places.
5. Do something to help the educational system. Most, if not all, of your future community members will have had a place in the educational system of your area. By donating time and resources, you can help to unify a strong group of future leaders.