Umoja Karamu

Umoja Karamu

Fourth Sunday in November

The African-American holiday of Umoja Karamu, which means "unity feast" in Kiswahili, celebrates family members ' commitment to one another. Established in 1971 by Brother Edward Sims, Jr., the feast was observed on the fourth Sunday in November, a date set by the Temple of the Black Messiah in Washington, D.C. African-American churches and families in several states continue to celebrate the festival, although it is not as widely observed as Kwanzaa.
Five periods of African-American life, each symbolized by a particular color, provide the framework for the Umoja Karamu ceremony: 1) the family in Africa, before slavery in America (black); 2) the enslaved family in America (white); 3) the family freed from slavery (red); 4) the family struggling for true liberation (green); 5) the family anticipating the future (orange or gold). Narratives, music, and foods relating to each period are part of the ceremony.

SOURCES:
AfrAmerHol-1991, p. 63
AAH-2007, p. 411

Celebration days: Nov 27, 2011; Nov 25, 2012; Nov 24, 2013; Nov 23, 2014; Nov 22, 2015