San Quentin residents and outside guests gathered in Chapel B to near capacity on Saturday, December 21 to kick off the 2024 Kwanzaa celebration.
The 58-year-old African American holiday celebrates family, community and culture. It was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor of African studies, in 1966.
Kwanzaa is a seven day festival, where each day commemorates the Seven Principles of Unity (Umoja), Self Determination (Kujichagulia), Collective Work and Responsibility (Ujima), Cooperative Economics (Ujamaa), Purpose (Nia), Creativity (Kuumba), and Faith (Imani).
Musicians and percussionists from several SQ bands came together to form a musical collective that set a festive mood. As speakers approached the podium, they were accompanied with the bass sound of pounding congas and bongos, reflecting roots in African tradition.
SQ resident Kaleo “9yne 4oe” Kealoha opened the celebration with a performance of two deeply personal rap songs.
“It is a blessing to be here, a close friend invited me,” said Kealoha, a native of Hawaiian and German decent. “It’s an honor that the Black community accepted me to perform my music. It was an opportunity for me to show my love for the community and my love for the culture.”
The tables where attendees sat were adorned with red, black, and green table cloths. Resident Lamavis Commundoiwilla displayed his artwork representing the beauty of Black women. Resident artist Douglas Dawkins created African women-themed cards that served as the centerpieces of the tables.
Poets from the facility’s art community showed up in force to present artfully-crafted pieces laden with the struggles and triumphs of African American communities.
SQ resident and poet Jason “Supreme” Jackson performed a powerful spoken word piece titled “Black Like Me” along side the bass sound of the house band.
“I grew up in LA celebrating Kwanzaa. Going to Kwanzaa plays and celebrations, my family observed all the tenets of Kwanzaa,” said Jackson. “To be in this moment means the world to me as a Black man. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of Kwanzaa being celebrated in a prison setting.”
Jackson, who wrote his first poem at 12 years old and performed his first poem at age 16, left the stage to a standing ovation and thunderous applause.
In attendance was Project Pat, a member of the rap group Three Six Mafia, who won an Academy Award for best movie score for “Hustle and Flow.” As a formerly incarcerated person himself, he shared that he wanted to use his platform to shine a light on the beauty that resides behind prison walls.
“This event is a beautiful thing. I never celebrated Kwanzaa in my life before today,” said Project Pat. “People on the outside don’t understand the beauty and humanity that exists in places like this. It’s my job to bring more exposure and let the world know.”
SQTV writer and director of film Mathew Sheppard graced the audience with his comedy, amusing the crowd with jokes that skillfully told the stories of famous African American inventors.
“F.J. Loudin invented the keychain because he couldn’t be the first brother to lose his house key, he’d be back in the field in no time,” quipped Sheppard.
Along with the poets and musical performances, speakers were called to the podium to articulate the Seven Priciples of Kwanzaa.
At the conclusion of the event, bean pies, banana pudding, and peach cobbler were served to attendees alongside hot cocoa. Participants also received custom bags of M&Ms colored with the traditional Kwanzaa colors of red, black, and green.
SQ resident Situe “Skoowee” Toluao, a core member of the Asian Pacific Islander community, expressed his love and appreciation for African American culture.
“I always loved culture in general, because culture is what showed me who I truly am,” said Toluao. “I feel Black [people] are pioneers in industry and entertainment. When it comes to fighting oppression, other marginalized communities look to Black [people] for inspiration.”
Resident poet Jackson left attendees with one final message to ponder in his poem “Black Like Me.” He rhymed, “we both the riddle and the clue, the answers to all the questions if we only knew.”
