Staff photo / Bob Coupland Mariah Elliott, 14, of Youngstown, in the foreground, and her cousin, Imani Elliott, 13, of Canfield, look over a Kwanzaa display Thursday at New Bethel Baptist Church in Youngstown. The fathers of the two teens used to be members of the Harambee Youth Organization of Youngstown.

YOUNGSTOWN — Dancing, music, cultural expression and recitations helped kick off the first day of the seven days of Kwanzaa at a celebration held Thursday at New Bethel Baptist Church.

The event marked Umoja (unity) and featured the Harambee Youth Organization and Karamu community feast. Speakers included the Rev. Kenneth Simon, pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church.

Kwanzaa was initially observed in 1966 and was established, drawing inspiration from harvest festival customs in different regions of West, East and Southeast Africa.

Zakiya Miller, administrative assistant for Harambee of Youngstown, said the first day of Kwanzaa has traditionally been held each year at New Bethel Baptist Church and Harambee typically hosts the first night.

Harambee includes dancers and drummers, and several younger members showcasing publicly for the first time what they have learned.

“The first night stands for unity, which is the focus of our message. The young people are given the night to express themselves. We discuss how important it is for the black community to come together, support each other and see our community thrive in the coming years,” Miller said.

Miller said there were African American vendors and a community feast held for the first time since 2019. It has not been held since the coronavirus pandemic.

“This is an amazing time for everyone to come together. Harambee locally has been celebrating Kwanzaa since 1968. We have had multiple generations of families take part. Many people who used to be part of Harambee come back. It’s like a big family reunion,” she said.

Miller said it is important that future generations understand the importance of Kwanzaa and their heritage.

She said four local Kwanzaa events are being held today through Sunday.

Lynnette Miller, coordinator of Harambee, said the young people involved in Harambee get to show people what they have learned with dancing and drumming, but also learn of their own heritage, culture and history.

“They get to celebrate themselves with pride. We come here every year for the first day of Kwanzaa,” she said.

Organizers said all other nights of Kwanzaa should be celebrated at home.

The Rev. Kenneth Simon, pastor of the church, said the Kwanzaa celebration showcases the young people and also discussion on how we can better the community.

He said it is important for younger generations to become more civically involved in the community. Simon said it is important for black people to unite for the future.

The program included explanations of the seven principles of Kwanzaa:

• Umoja (unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.

• Kujichagulia (self-determination): To define and name ourselves, and to create and speak for ourselves.

• Ujima (collective work and responsibility): To build and maintain our community together, and make our brothers’ and sisters’ problems our problems and solve them together.

• Ujamaa (cooperative economics): To build and maintain our stores, shops and other businesses, and to profit from them together.

• Nia (purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

• Kuumba (creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited.

• Imani (faith): To believe with all our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.