Among Bill Clinton's numerous despicable distinctions is the fact that he is
the first occupant of the Oval Office to extend official recognition to the
ersatz holiday called "Kwanzaa," a seven-day annual "African" festival that
runs from December 26th to New Year's Day. Mr. Clinton has described Kwanzaa
as "a vibrant celebration of African culture" that "transcends international
boundaries . link[ing] diverse individuals in a unique celebration of a
dynamic heritage."

In fact, Kwanzaa is a product of violent black separatism, and it was
designed to foment insularity and a sense of racial grievance.

The founder of Kwanzaa is a petty criminal named Ronald Everett, alias Ron
Karenga. In the mid-1960s, Everett created a Los Angeles-based black
militant group called United Slaves (US) for the purpose of igniting a
"cultural revolution" among American blacks. Toward that end he created
Kwanzaa (named after a Swahili term for "first fruits") as a way of
evangelizing on behalf of his revolution. In his book Kwanzaa: Origins,
Concepts, Practice, "Karenga" claims that the spurious holiday offers blacks
"an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history rather than simply
imitate the practice of the dominant society."

However, "Karenga's" so-called Nguzo Saba (seven principles) for his "new
black value system" are little more than Marxism transposed into an
afrocentric key: Umoja (unity); Kujichagulia (self-determination), which,
according to "Karenga," refers to afrocentricity; Ujima (collective work and
responsibility); Ujamaa (cooperative economics), which "Karenga" describes
as "essentially a commitment to the practice of shared social wealth"; Nia
(purpose), which refers to "collective vocation" for black people; Kuumba
(creativity); and Imani (faith).

To provide a tangible symbol of his seven principles, "Karenga" appropriated
the menorah from Judaism, adorning it in Kwanzaa's seasonal colors (red,
black, and green) and re-christening it the "kinara." No Kwanzaa celebration
is complete without the recitation of the Kwanzaa pledge: "We pledge
allegiance to the red, black, and green, our flag, the symbol of our eternal
struggle, and to the land we must obtain; one nation of black people, with
one God of us all, totally united in the struggle, for black love, black
freedom, and black self-determination."

This is the stuff of parody; it is a photographic negative of the rites
conducted by bedsheet-bedecked white supremacists who cavort around burning
crosses, or neo-Nazis who offer oblations to their pagan deity Odin. Yet
"Karenga" and his black nationalist holiday have been eagerly embraced by
the apostles of multiculturalism and tolerance. In his presidential messages
commemorating Kwanzaa, Bill Clinton has stated that "Karenga's" seven
principles "ring true not only for African Americans, but also for all
Americans . bring[ing] new purpose to our daily lives." In recent years the
mainstreaming of Kwanzaa has proceeded at an astonishing pace. The U.S.
Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp in 1997, and the Smithsonian
Institution sponsors an annual celebration.

Christian activist Carlotta Morrow, whose sister was lured into "Karenga's"
United Slaves organization in the 1970s, is much less enchanted with the
observance, describing its message as "anti-Christian, anti-Jewish, and
black separatist" in nature. To the extent that the holiday bears the
impress of its creator, it should also be seen as a celebration of depravity
and violence.

On several occasions, factional quarrels between "Karenga's" US organization
and the Black Panthers erupted into open gunplay, which resulted in the
death of several people.

In 1970, "Karenga" and two of his followers were arrested and charged with
conspiracy and assault in the torture of Deborah Jones and Gail Davis, two
of his female followers. Believing that the women had tried to poison him,
"Karenga" forced the women to disrobe at gunpoint and had them beaten.
"Vietnamese torture is nothing compared to what I know," he informed his
victims, whereupon he forced a hot soldering iron into the mouth of one
while the other had a toe squeezed in a vice. Both women were also forced to
consume detergent and a caustic liquid as part of their "discipline."

According to the July 27, 1971 Los Angeles Times, a psychological profile of
"Karenga" described him "as a danger to society who is in need of prolonged
custodial treatment in prison." The profile noted that "Karenga," while
legally sane, was "confused and not in contact with reality." Neither his
criminal record nor his insuperable difficulties with reality has impeded
"Karenga's" career prospects, however: He is presently professor and chair
of the department of Black Studies at California State University-Long
Beach.

While some might consider Ron "Karenga's" implausible triumph to be an
illustration of P.T. Barnum's axiom regarding human gullibility, there is
something much worse than foolishness at work. Kwanzaa offers a potent
illustration of Communist theoretician Antonio Gramsci's strategy for
overthrowing Western society by conducting a "long march through the
institutions" of culture, including educational and religious institutions.
It is this urge to destroy and defile our Western patrimony that represents
the true spirit of Kwanzaa.