On Tuesday, December 8, 2015 the Malcolm X Cultural Center and the Center for Multicultural Advancement & Student Success will host the Annual Kwanzaa Celebration at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in the Student Union Ballroom from 5:30 P.M. to 8 P.M.

This event is one of several signature cultural celebratory events for the campus community and the general public.

Its origins date back to Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor and chairman of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach, who created Kwanzaa in 1966. After the Watts riots in Los Angeles, Dr. Karenga searched for ways to bring African-Americans together as a community. He founded US, a cultural organization, and started to research African "first fruit" (harvest) celebrations. Karenga combined aspects of several different harvest celebrations, such as those of the Ashanti and those of the Zulu, to form the basis of Kwanzaa.

Everyone is welcome.  The venue is wheelchair accessible.  Refreshments provided!