Kwanzaa (First Fruits) is a time for families and communities to come together to remember the past and to celebrate pan-African culture.Created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga, Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday that celebrates history, values, family, community and culture. The ideas and concepts of Kwanzaa are expressed in the Swahili language, one of the most widely spoken languages in Africa. The seven principles which form its core were drawn from communitarian values found throughout the African continent. These principles are: Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and Imani (Faith). Kwanzaa gets its name from the Swahili phrase, “matunda ya kwanza” and is rooted in first fruit celebrations which are found in cultures throughout Africa both in ancient and modern times.UJIMA (Collective Work and Responsibility) - To build and maintain our community together and make our community’s problems our problems and to solve them together.Song for reflection: Optimistic, Sounds of BlacknessThought for the Day: Wilkerson, Isabel. The Warmth of Other Suns. Random House, 2010. P. 538"Over the decades, perhaps the wrong questions have been asked about the Great Migration. Perhaps it is not a question of whether the migrants brought good or ill to the cities they fled or were pushed or pulled to their destinations, but a question of how they summoned the courage to leave in the first place or how they found the will to press beyond the forces against them and the faith in a country that had rejected them for so long. By their actions, they did not dream the American Dream, they willed it into being by a definition of their own choosing. They did not ask to be accepted but declared themselves the Americans that perhaps few others recognized but that they had always been deep within their hearts."Today's Recipe: Caribbean Sorrel Facebook: The Eudaimonia CenterInstagram: theeudaimoniacenterTwitter: eu_daimonismFor more reproductive medicine and women's health information and other valuable resources, make sure to visit our website.Looking for a nutritional advantage this holiday season? Try LIFE and get 30% off when you visit aminoco.com/LW30 .