Build & Maintain For Future Generations

Two Kwanzaa principles that are often mixed up are Ujima and Ujamaa. I call them the twins. They are so similar that they are easily confused, but just like identical twins, if you get to know them, you see their distinction:

Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems and to solve them together.

Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.

Surely we all know by now that the only way to build and maintain our community is by our own actions. Who would possibly care more about our children than we do? Who would possibly patronize our businesses, if not us? We are the ones who will give our best mental and physical selves to efforts that benefit our families and our communities.

We are able to be collectively strong and transform our community in a single generation when we are daily building and maintaining our schools, grocery stores, hair salons, tax accountants... Our banks, gas stations, restaurants, real estate... Our elected officials, police department, places of worship, law firms.

Let's be about it, family! The next generation needs us to build and maintain.

Text "KWANZAA" to 425-406-3101