Every day from December 26-January 1, Pax Christi USA will share a reflection on one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Pax Christi USA National Field Organizer Stephen Niamke has prepared each piece to show how Kwanzaa is an effective approach to community organizing — a celebratory, nonviolent, Afrocentric approach to wellness, justice, and peace.
In 2024, Executive Director Charlene Howard wrote, “Kwanzaa is an African American holiday … to celebrate family, community and culture. Although it was not designed to be a religious holiday, the seven principles possess a spiritual quality that is evident in holy scripture and resonates with our principles of Catholic Social Teaching inspired by Pope Leo XIII in Rerum Novarum. The binding thread is acknowledging that we thrive in community and common care for one another.”
Day 7: Imani/Faith: Trusting our people, our future, and the moral arc of the universe
To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.
Hebrews 11:1: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” This echoes Imani’s insistence that belief precedes visible transformation.
The Kwanzaa ceremony: On the seventh and final day of Kwanzaa, the green candle on the far right of the Kinara is lit. Green symbolizes the future, and its placement at the conclusion of the celebration is deliberate. It also represents the Motherland or the Homeplace upon which our culture, history, and traditions are founded. Imani gathers all that has come before—unity, self-determination, collective responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, and creativity—and binds them together with trust.
Imani is not blind optimism. It is a disciplined belief. It is the conscious, intentional decision to trust in the worth of African people and the legitimacy of their struggle even when evidence is incomplete and outcomes uncertain. In this sense, Imani is both spiritual and practical, sustaining individuals, families, and movements across generations. More importantly, Imani is humanizing.
Imani in the family: Cultivating trust, belonging, faith, and hope: Within the family, Imani is the soil in which all other principles grow. It is expressed through trust. It speaks to trusting in one another’s intentions, in shared values, and in the future being shaped together.
Families practicing Imani:
- Speak hope into moments of fear or uncertainty
- Affirm children’s worth consistently and without condition
- Being intentional about preparing the way for a challenging journey
- Model perseverance through difficulty
- Instilling confidence and a sense of identity by sharing family history
- Recognizing that trust often grows gradually and nurturing the process
For African American families navigating racism, economic uncertainty, and social pressure, Imani offers emotional stability. It reassures children that they are not defined by obstacles, nor abandoned to them.
Imani as community wellness: Sustaining hope amid struggle: At the community level, Imani functions as a collective emotional resource. Communities facing persistent injustice require more than strategy; they need hope that outlasts disappointment.
Imani supports wellness by:
- Anticipates possible feelings of despair and cynicism
- Encouraging long-term commitment
- Strengthens intergenerational trust
- Sustaining collective morale and thus encourages one to persevere
For African Americans harmed by racism, especially within religious institutions, Imani offers a path to restored trust without coercion. It separates faith from domination and belief from compliance. Because Kwanzaa is secular, Imani does not require adherence to doctrine. Instead, it invites belief in people, values, and the possibility of transformation. This makes it particularly healing for those seeking spiritual grounding without institutional harm.
Imani restores faith not by denying pain, but by affirming dignity.
Faith as the bridge to the future: Imani completes Kwanzaa by reminding us that liberation is sustained by belief as much as action. Faith bridges the gap between intention and outcome, between struggle and victory.
As the final green candle burns, it casts light on a future rooted in trust, resilience, and hope. Imani teaches us that faith is not the absence of doubt—it is the courage to continue.
Africentric philosophy understands faith as communal rather than individual. Belief is held together, reinforced through shared ritual, story, and struggle, and again, trust. The proverb “A single bracelet does not jingle” reminds us that faith gains strength through collective affirmation.
Together, the Nguzo Saba – the seven Kwanzaa principles – form a holistic, Africentric framework for family formation, community wellness, and nonviolent organizing. Practiced intentionally, Kwanzaa becomes more than a celebration—it becomes a way of life.
Note regarding the use of “Africentric“
From Baobab Tree: “In education, Afrocentrism has generally had an inward focus, bringing needed self-knowledge to Black children. Africentrism, in our usage, is outwardly focused – on what Black culture means in larger cultural contexts.”