DC Trawler

Did You Go To The Kwanzaa Parade In LA?

Font Size:

If not, you had a whole lot of company:

kwanzaa_no_kwanzaa

This doesn’t mean Kwanzaa is a fake holiday, of course. Or, I guess it might, in the sense that every holiday is considered fake to somebody. The point is, when held to the same standards as all other December-based celebrations, Kwanzaa is a very real holiday that nobody cares about.

That didn’t stop local media from turning out for the “festivities,” of course, as Tom Blumer at Newsbusters notes:

A Kwanzaa “parade” was held in Los Angeles yesterday. In reporting on the event, CBS Los Angeles published a work of fiction (saved here for future reference, fair use and discussion purposes) which absolutely belongs on any 2014 list of most embarrassing moments in journalism (HT Twitchy; bolds are mine):

LA Celebrates Start Of Kwanzaa With Parade Along Crenshaw Boulevard

The 38th annual KwanZaa Gwaride parade made its way down Crenshaw Boulevard Friday, marking the start of the seven-day festival of Kwanzaa.

The gwaride, which is the Swahili word for parade, brought together members of L.A.’s African-American community as they turn their focus on “Nguzo Saba,” the Seven Principles behind Kwanzaa: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.

Organizers named the theme of this year’s parade “Perfect YOUR Temple,” or body. They said it was “a call to arms in our constant and ongoing efforts to `perfect’ our lives.”

The gwaride began at the corner of Crenshaw and Adams boulevards, headed south along Crenshaw to Leimert Park, where organizers held a “Black Lives Matter” rally.

Some participants walked the parade carrying signs underlining important issues to the community, such as police brutality, home foreclosures, judicial corruption, transparency in government and environmental racism.

… Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, now chair of Africana Studies at Cal State Long Beach, in what he called “an audacious act of self-determination.”

Judging by the level of enthusiasm shown at this “parade,” I’d call that the Audacity of Nope.

And now I’m sure some of our smarter and more rational commenters will explain why this post is racist. Feel free to read them, if you feel it’s a good use of your limited time on this planet. I’ll be over here, enjoying all my Kwanzaa presents.

Tags : kwanzaa
Jim Treacher