Happy Kwanzaa greetings to all the members of the Santa Clara family.
We offer especially warm wishes to our sisters and brothers of African descent! 

At the turn of the year, from December 26 to January 1, Kwanzaa is a secular holiday for many African Americans to honor the central importance of community. Kwanzaa literally means ‘first’ in Swahili to recall the first fruits of the harvest. Recalling the abundance of harvest, families and friends celebrate Kwanzaa by sharing goods and gifts with others, gathering into a community and looking to a better future for all. A central Kwanzaa motif is the kinara symbolizing a cornstalk. It holds seven candles for lighting each evening during the festival season. They represent the principles of unity, self-determination, collective responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

We join our hearts with our sisters and brothers at SCU who celebrate Kwanzaa. As each candle of the kinara is lit, we are reminded of our SCU pledge to one another:

I am light! You are light! We are light!

We offer warmest wishes to the whole SCU community during the festival of Kwanzaa. In our lives right now, we need the witness and hope of Kwanzaa more than ever. May the light, happiness, and peace of this celebration remain at the heart of our community in the year ahead.