SAN DIEGO (KGTV) \u2014 The second night of Kwanzaa brought community members together in Balboa Park as the annual celebration at the WorldBeat Cultural Center officially opened its doors for several nights of culture, reflection and connection.<\/p>\n
People packed into the cultural center to honor the holiday\u2019s second principle, Kuji Chagulia \u2014 self-determination \u2014 focusing on health, reciprocity and community. Each night of Kwanzaa highlights a different principle from the Nguzo Saba, the seven core values at the heart of the African American cultural holiday.<\/p>\n
Now in its 45th year, the celebration has become a longstanding tradition in San Diego, featuring music, art and cultural expression that reflect generations of heritage.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re celebrating the goodness of our culture,\u201d said Makeda Dread Cheatom, executive director and founder of the WorldBeat Cultural Center. \u201cIt\u2019s a night of gathering. It\u2019s for us to come together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cheatom, who has helped steward the event for decades, said creating space for these traditions is essential \u2014 especially as community members work to carry them forward.<\/p>\n
Each night of the week-long holiday centers on a different principle. The second day, Kuji Chagulia, self determination\u2014 which Cheatom explained emphasizes defining and naming one\u2019s own destiny.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be a part of our own destiny and to name our own destiny \u2014 that\u2019s what Kuji Chagulia is,\u201d Cheatom said.<\/p>\n
For many in attendance the celebration goes beyond a single holiday.<\/p>\n
\u201cKwanzaa means to me celebration of community,\u201d Cheatom shared. \u201cAnd really respecting what my ancestors laid down for me and carrying their dream on \u2014 and to have those Kwanzaas every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
The significance of hosting such a celebration in San Diego resonated deeply with many, including educator and artist Ayanna Gregory, daughter of the late comedian and civil rights activist Dick Gregory.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s amazing,\u201d Gregory said. \u201cTo come here and see this incredible pillar \u2014 the WorldBeat Center and Mama Makeda Dread, who\u2019s been holding it down for all these years \u2014 I just walked into a gold mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
The WorldBeat Cultural Center will host four of the seven days of Kwanzaa celebrations this week. All events are open to the public and free to attend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN DIEGO (KGTV) \u2014 The second night of Kwanzaa brought community members together in Balboa Park as the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":111590,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[6522,50426,74,76,75,58502],"class_list":{"0":"post-111589","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-culture","9":"tag-kwanzaa","10":"tag-san-diego","11":"tag-san-diego-headlines","12":"tag-san-diego-news","13":"tag-worldbeat-cultural-center"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111589"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111589\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}