The Celebration of Kwanzaa Has a History That Is Both Recent and Deep

Every December 26th, the holiday of Kwanzaa begins. Kwanzaa is rooted in African celebrations of harvest, but its formal origin is surprisingly recent. The holiday was started by Maulana Karenga, a professor in California, in 1966. Dr. Karenga wanted African Americans “to feel good about themselves and to have something that they could connect to, to make their lives better,” Dr. Linda Humes, an educator, told InsideEdition.com.