The African American Holiday of Kwanzaa derives its name from the lingua franca of East Africa, Swahili. Additionally, the names and principles of the holiday are also derived from the language. Many people believe that Dr. Karenga chose Swahili because it is the largest language spoken by Africans across the continent. Moreover, Kwanzaa derived its name from the phrase matunda ya kwanza ("first fruits"). Yet, as you may have noticed, Kwanza has only one "a" in the expression, but the Kwanzaa that is celebrated by millions of people has two A's. Why is that so?Well, you'll get many answers if you read books about Kwanzaa. For example, in James C. Anyke's book African American Holidays, he states that the extra "a" was added "to distinguish this celebration as an African American Holiday." Furthermore, The Children's Book of Kwanzaa by Dolores Johnson elucidates that the extra 'a' was added "to give the holiday greater significance." After reading and analyzing several different explanations, I decided to directly approach the source. Therefore, I reviewed the books written by Dr. Karenga on the origins of Kwanzaa. According to those sources, I discovered that the extra "a" was attributed to the fact that Dr. Karenga wanted all seven children present at the first Kwanzaa to participate in the program.Moreover, uncovering these facts inspired me to write a picture book: Kwanzaa Gets an A. Using Dr. Karenga's book as a guide, Kwanzaa Gets An A narrates the story about the manner in which the name of the holiday came into existence using a griot, an African storyteller. Consequently, the book was written to be an interactive experience where children participate, call and respond. Put succinctly, as the griot tells the story of Kwanzaa Gets an A, the children respond Ashe (ah-Shay), a West African word that means to bring about change.

Kwanzaa Gets an A

Children's Books

Steven C. Thedford

Holidays & Celebrations

New World Press, Inc.

My daughter, Kennedy I.Thedford, inspired me to write about why the African American holiday of Kwanzaa has two A s when the Swahili word has only one. She asked the question because all other holidays, such as Christmas and Hanukkah, have a story behind them. What was the story of Kwanzaa? I didn't have an answer, so I began researching the holiday. In conducting that research, I ran across different stories of why Kwanzaa has that extra A. One explanation said that an extra A was added to the end of the word Kwanzaa to distinguish the American celebration of the holiday from the African word of Kwanza. Another author said the extra letter was added to the Swahili word to give the word seven letters to match the seven principles and symbols of the holiday. Yet, after reading a couple of Dr. Karenga's books, I learned that Kwanzaa has two A s because he added an extra 'a' to the word kwanza at the first celebration so that all seven children present could participate, an African tradition. Also, this research inspired me to write the picture book titled, Kwanzaa Gets an A and this is the first picture book that tells the story of Kwanzaa.

Literature & Fiction

Thedford, Steven Christopher

United States

Egypt James is a beautiful African American girl, who has attended private school all her life. In addition, she becomes a debutante and needs her father to dance with her at the cotillion ball-The Father/Daughter Dance. But, her mother kicked him out of the house after she found out that he was part of the LD03, an organization actively engaged in the human trafficking business, and other illegal activities. Egypt wants to befriend William, a member of the LD03, to help locate her father. William Harris is originally from Philadelphia, where the schools were so bad that his father decided to send him to Atlanta to get a better education. Not only that, his father cannot accept the fact that his son is gay. Shipping him off to Atlanta helps him keep up his "street credit" from the LD03 gang members on the streets of "Philly." Yet, William is determined to gain his father's approval. Egypt meets William while "Working the Corner" for the Eastside High School band in front of the school; he donates 20 dollars to the organization. She thinks that he is fine and would be the perfect boyfriend. She thinks that his affiliation with the gang can help her find her father and she decides to pursue a relationship with the young man. Her involvement with William brings her closer to her father. Yet, the stress of the relationship; being dumped at Christmas, learning that William is a homosexual, being accused of having an affair with a teacher, and thinking that she has AIDS causes Egypt to go into labor prematurely and gives birth to a preemie, Baby James. Egypt is a dedicated mother and attentive to Baby James at the prenatal center, but her mother convinces her to take a break to attend the cotillion ball. Her father shows up unexpectedly at the event and dances with Egypt; she feels like a princess during the Father/Daughter Dance. repast Egypt finds the strength to help the police set up a sting that brings down the LD03 and William.

Eastside Story

Teen & Young Adult

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the New World Press, Inc. publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by New World Press, Inc.