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Wednesday, December 27, 2000

Children's home ground zero for Kwanzaa celebration

By AUTUMN C. GIUSTI | News-Journal Staff Writer

DELTONA — Many people were quietly settling down Tuesday from the rush and bustle of Christmas.

But one place here was anything but quiet as people sang, danced and chanted in celebration of the first day of Kwanzaa.

All of this merriment was part of the annual Kwanzaa Celebration at the Florida United Methodist Children's Home, sponsored by the West Volusia section of the National Council of Negro Women.

The event was free and open to the public, but it also opened its doors to the children staying at the home who didn't have a place to go for the holidays, said event coordinator Zera Reed.

Tuesday's celebration drew about 100 participants, along with Deltona Mayor John Masiarczyk and City Commissioners Lucille Wheatley and William Harvey.

Kwanzaa, which celebrates African heritage and in Swahili means "first fruits of the harvest," runs from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. The seven days represent Kwanzaa's seven principles: unity, self-determination, responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. Those taking part wore traditional African clothing and designs, and the event's dcor carried the colors of Kwanzaa: black, for the faces of the African people; red, for the blood they have shed; and green, for hope and the land of Africa.

Mary Allen, who narrated the event, has celebrated Kwanzaa for 27 years. She met Kwanzaa's founder, Dr. Maulana Karenga while she was in college in New Jersey. Karenga, who founded the celebration in 1966, inspired her to observe the cultural event.

"It's a time of remembrance for me," she said. "It's when I give thanks for my past and reaffirm who I am."

Tuesday's event was La Sandria Joseph's first Kwanzaa, but she plans to celebrate it in the future and possibly incorporate a celebration into her home life.

"The principles are very solid, and I think they strengthen the family," she said. "The fact that they're centered around God made me want to participate."

Joseph, a choir member at New Hope Baptist Church, made a big impression on the crowd, singing "How Great Thou Art." Audience members cried "Ashay! Ashay! Ashay!" which is an African term expressing agreement and approval.

Other events included poems, a prayer and storytelling for the children. Also included was a candle lighting ceremony in which seven candles -- three green, three red and one black -- represent the African people, their struggle and for the future and hope that comes from the struggle.

Lloyd Marcus and his wife, Mary Parker, designed the surroundings for the event. Marcus serves as creative director for Deltona Performing Arts, which provided the celebration's African music and dance.

"I had zero budget, and I wanted to come up with a way to make the Kwanzaa event more spectacular," he said.

Getting creative is nothing new for Marcus, a former art director for a television station in Baltimore. With a few sheets of fabric and a some tomato stakes, Marcus and Parker created the dozen or so bright yellow, pink, blue and green banners that hung from the ceiling above the audience.

"For $50, they're going to have a spectacular room," Marcus said before the event.

The council has sponsored the event for about eight years so children can learn about the accomplishments of black Americans, said member Juanita Price.

"The (purpose of the event) is so blacks can learn about and be proud of their history," she said. "It's also important for them to know about (their ancestors') accomplishments because the textbooks don't include a lot of African culture."

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