Day 1 of Kwanzaa

Today is the first day of Kwanzaa. In honor of the holiday, we will be highlighting a book from our collection that coincides with each of Kwanzaa's seven principles. Stay tuned all 7 days :-)

Umoja - Unity

Fighting for US: Maulana Karenga, the US Organization, and Black Cultural Nationalism, by Scot Brown

In spite of the ever-growing popularity of Kwanzaa, the story of the influential Black nationalist organization behind the holiday has never been told. Fighting for Us explores the fascinating history of the US Organization, a Black nationalist group based in California that played a leading role in Black Power politics and culture during the late 1960s and early '70s whose influence is still felt today. Advocates of Afrocentric renewal, US unleashed creative and intellectual passions that continue to fuel debate and controversy among scholars and students of the Black Power movement.