Prince George’s County native Jessica Smith founded Culture Kingdom Kids in 2010 as a way to teach children about African-American and African cultures through the arts. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and a former drama and English teacher, Smith performs and teaches at museums, churches, schools, community centers and birthday parties. She’ll be leading families in an interactive workshop about how to celebrate Kwanzaa at the Alexandria Black History Museum Dec. 10. She spoke to The Washington Examiner about the holiday, which goes from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, and the values she hopes kids will embrace. Do you consider yourself to be of a specific faith?
I believe in God. I go to church. If I were any kind of Christian, I would say I’m nondenominational. I’m more focused on all the miracles that God universally has done, especially in my life and the lives of others. I’ve been attending St. Paul United Methodist Church since I was young.
I am a liturgical dancer. I choreograph dances to gospel music. Dance is where I’m most able to express myself spiritually. When I go to church, that’s what I’m thinking about — how can I turn this beautiful song or sermon into a dance? It’s preaching through movement. I call it a blessed ballet.
What made you want to found Culture Kingdom Kids?
I was a child of the ’80s, and I was raised in a time when my parents constantly surrounded me with books, toys and experiences where I saw African Americans being reflected in a positive way. They made a conscious effort to raise me around other children and other families with like-minded goals. So I was raised with a strong sense that black is beautiful. I looked at African Americans as strong, educated people who could do anything. But when I went to teach in rural Virginia, I found out that other people weren’t raised that way. They weren’t proud to be African American, and their concept of black history didn’t go past Martin Luther King Jr. or Harriet Tubman. I thought, ‘We need to do something about this.’ I believe you can’t wait until Black History Month or when you take your first African American studies class in college. This has got to start at home, when kids are little. So I started creating fun, educational programs that encouraged children to feel proud to be African American.
What is Kwanzaa, and why is it so important to you?
Kwanzaa is an African American and pan-African holiday that celebrates family, community and culture. It’s not religious, but it definitely has spiritual implications, because it brings together African Americans from diverse backgrounds. I think it’s important because it sets the foundation for how parents can teach their children to be proud and productive African Americans. The person who started Kwanzaa, Dr. Maulana Karenga, purposefully made children an integral part of the celebration. It’s a belief system that’s not just for those seven days.
Is Kwanzaa just for African Americans?
I think it’s extremely important for African Americans in this country to focus and take ownership of a national holiday that was created expressly to celebrate their heritage. It is also important for all Americans to be knowledgeable and respectful of Kwanzaa, just like they would any other holiday.
Is Kwanzaa an alternative to Christmas?
Absolutely not. Christmas and Hanukkah are religious holidays, and Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday. It’s about racial and cultural identity. And that gets confusing because people think they have to choose. I will be celebrating Christmas on Dec. 25, and as soon as Christmas is over, I’ll go right to Kwanzaa.
I have co-workers who say Kwanzaa isn’t a real holiday. And I say every holiday was started by someone, and someone continued it. You can’t say it’s not a real holiday just because it’s not 2,000 years old. It will be 2,000 years old some day, if I have anything to do with it.
At your core what is one of your defining beliefs?
If you haven’t noticed, I’m serious about Kwanzaa. I have many definite beliefs, but I would say in this season it has become extremely important to me to incorporate the Kwanzaa principles in my life. It’s not just a holiday for me. I’ve seen the power of the principles help me to become a better person. They are: umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work and responsibility), ujamaa (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity) and imani (faith).
– Liz Essley
