Courtesy of the Saint Louis Art Museum.
SLAM Kwanzaa
On December 31 at 10 a.m., join the Saint Louis Art Museum as they celebrate Kwanzaa with Teseto Yalew– Young, Gifted, and Black with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., St. Louis Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter. The festivities are back in person this year after a two-year hiatus.
Kwanzaa, the week-long African-American tradition inspired by the first fruits celebration, has a long-standing history at SLAM. For more than 20 years, SLAM has partnered with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority to put together a celebration of the seven principles of Kwanzaa.
According to Erica Richard, associate educator for youth and family learning at the museum, “SLAM is a museum for the community and really needs to welcome and embrace and celebrate every member of the community. It’s important that people feel welcomed here. With Kwanzaa, a community-enlivening event, it feels like a perfect fit to host at the museum.”
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and SLAM are asking people to focus and reflect on the seven principles: umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), jujima (collective work and responsibility), ujamaa (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity), and imani (faith) over the course of the celebration. Jeanice Baker, president of Saint Louis Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., says these reflections are an essential part of her own family’s celebration.
“What I do with my family… we would talk about what the principles meant, personally to [each person,]” she says. “And it was always fun, because it meant something different, depending on your age range. It really inspired us as a family unit.”
This year, SLAM has exciting and interactive activities to include the public in the celebration. Visitors can view the decorated table with the Mkekea (mat) as a foundation to the Kinara, the candle holder for the seven red, black, and green candlesticks, corn, zawadis, and a Kikombe cha Umoja (unity cup). There will be an opportunity for guests to make a zawadi (gift), connecting to the museum’s own display of the Yoruba crown, a beautiful glass beaded crown that signifies the wealth and power of a king. There will also be a performance by Spirit of Angela West African Dance and Drum in the Farrell Auditorium and an opportunity to listen to the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority members discussing what each of the seven principles means to them. Finally, there will be a photo booth and a scavenger hunt throughout the collections, focusing on artwork from Black artists.
SLAM and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority encourage guests to embrace Kwanzaa as a time to commemorate and give thanks to your ancestors, self-reflect, and appreciate family and the St. Louis community.
“I hope that everyone feels a renewed sense of togetherness,” says Richard. “We’ve been virtual for two years now and our community really wants to come back together.”
Tickets to the performance will be available on-site only at the Museum on December 31 starting at 10 a.m. There will be a limit of 6 tickets per person. For more information, visit slam.org.
