Using the Principles of Kwanzaa to Build, Restore, and Celebrate our Cultural Creative Genius and Ingenuity

SAVE THE DATE

4th Annual Kwanzaa Awards

Saturday, Jan 4, 2025


Join us for our 4th annual celebration on Saturday, January 4, 2025. We will acknowledge and celebrate individuals and organizations who embody the seven principles of Kwanzaa!! More information to come about tickets.


Kwanzaa Awards IN PERSON for the first time!


SAVE THE DATE

Saturday, Jan 4, 2025

12 pm - 3 pm PT


LOCATION

The Royal Esquire Club

5016 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118


Go to the link below and get your nominations in before November 30th!

  1. Umoja (Unity)
  2. Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)
  3. Ujima (Collective Work & Responsibility)
  4. Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)
  5. Nia (Purpose)
  6. Kuumba (Creativity)
  7. Imani (Faith)
  8. *Nguzo Saba (Seven Principles)


Kwanzaa Awards

Read More

Why We Do What We Do

Our Mission

BLACK 4 CHARITIES is Using the Principles of Kwanzaa to Build, Restore, and Celebrate our Cultural Creative Genius and Ingenuity. We exist to create, produce, and provide education that fosters family connection, personal development, and community benefit. We have intentionally centered our work around historically marginalized people, including Black/African-American and BIPOC youth and families. 

Our Vision

BLACK 4 CHARITES remain committed to centering historically marginalized people and communities in every story we share and our programming. When we make room for everyone to share their stories, collective history, and creative cultural contributions, we experience the humanity of our community. We are utilizing all seven principles of Kwanzaa to connect with culture, heritage, and reason to celebrate:

  1. Umoja (Unity)
  2. Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)
  3. Ujima (Collective Work & Responsibility)
  4. Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)
  5. Nia (Purpose)
  6. Kuumba (Creativity)
  7. Imani (Faith)

Strategic Priority

Education & Arts Integration

We partner with other community organizations to deliver culturally responsive environments end-to-end, racially equitable learning spaces, and arts integration (i.e., graphic illustration, writing, poetry, spoken word, music, sculpting, painting, etc.).

Strategic Priority

Family Connection

We prioritize the African-American family unit across all dimensions, from individual members to extended family and fictive kin networks. This involves fostering intimate focus groups for needs assessment and ensuring equitable and sustainable resource distribution. Through initiatives like internships and inclusive creative opportunities, developed in partnership with local organizations and schools, we aim to strengthen familial bonds and uplift our communities.

Our Current Projects

Using the Principles of Kwanzaa to Build, Restore, and Celebrate our Cultural Creative Genius and Ingenuity

Kwanzaa Awards

Acknowledgement & Celebration

We acknowledge and celebrate individuals and organizations who embody each of the seven principles of Kwanzaa. This has been a live virtual event and a wonderful celebration for all of us, especially for our 16 award recipients.

Read More

Kujichagulia Experience

Finding Your Own Voice

We take the participants through exercises, including music, arts, spoken word, poetry, writing, etc., that help them define themselves, name themselves, create for themselves, and speak for themselves.  We invite stand-out artists to collaborate beyond the workshop series and incorporate their final piece(s) into a community celebration.

Ujima Solution Incubator

Solving Our Problems Together

Participants determine the most pressing issues in their local, regional, national, or global community. They then engage in a solution-finding exercise to develop a formal plan, proposal, or recommendation for further action. We engage all ages, and no solution is off-limits!

Nia Project

Access & Exposure to Industries

We provide full access to an industry beyond reach for many African-American and BIPOC youth. We guide and facilitate the workshop participants toward connecting with how they fit into the world, either directly or indirectly, through this work. Our current partners are in Culinary Science (an $805 billion industry worldwide), Film & Video Production (a $283 billion industry worldwide), Fine Arts (a $67.8 billion industry worldwide), and Mental Health (a $383 billion industry worldwide).

Kuumba Effect

Beautification & Invention

We support community members of all ages as they engage their local, regional, and global world in ways that leave it more beautiful and beneficial than they inherited it. We encourage formal and informal processes that lead to improving our world, one community project, innovation, and invention at a time.

iMANI iMMERSION

Our Community. Our Stories.

We create a shared space for intergenerational storytelling, incorporating Arts Education, Social Connection & Belonging, Media, Journalism & Storytelling, and Mental Health & Healing.

Want to get involved?

Send us a Message

Share by: