African American Holiday Traditions

Directed and coordinated by Dorothy Paige-Turner, and sharing their enormous talents and artistry in spoken-word and song are George Davis, Jacquelyn Rogers, Wendell Thompson, Carl L. Towns, Coleen Martin Williams, and Janet Wright in this performance by the Rockford Reader’s Theatre.  

Included are a Kwanzaa Celebration, an African American Christmas tale, a Christmas Eve legend, and traditional folk songs from the American holiday repertoire. In 1966, a little over 100 years after Emancipation Day, January 1st, 1863, civil rights leader Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga conceived the idea of a special holiday geared specifically to the African American community. He called it Kwanzaa, the “Celebration of First Fruits.” Discover how Dr. Karenga was inspired to create this tradition, now observed and celebrated by millions from various cultures.

In “How Come Christmas?” by Charliemae Rollins, we experience the humor of how Santa Claus and Christmas came to be from the perspective of…