Sanctuary of Hope’s Youth Action Leadership participated in a unity centered Kwanzaa celebration coordinated and presented by the Jemmott Rollins and Dory Family. The Youth Action Leadership lit candles on the kinara and expressed their personal meaning of each Kwanzaa principle.
The Kwanzaa ceremonial procession was facilitated and led by Dr. Magaela Bethune, a scholar of African American studies and assistant professor at Loyola Marymount University. The ceremony included the pouring of libation, prayer to invoke the guidance of ancestors and spiritual forces, tasting aloe to symbolically represent struggle and bitterness, overview of the Kwanzaa table and Kwanzaa, and table discussion on Ujaama, cooperative work and economics.
The event sponsors were California 37th District Congressmember Sydney Kamlager-Dove, California State Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, California State Assemblymember District 55 Issac Bryan, and Los Angeles County Second District Supervisor Holly Mitchell.
Notable guests were Congressmember Barbara Lee and former Compton City Councilwoman Michelle Chambers.
Sanctuary of Hope and the Youth Action Leadership were thankful for the opportunity to be involved in this yearly cultural celebration event and established meaningful connections with members of the community as well as the exposure for the youth and young adults.
