Maulana Karenga, the creator of the afrocentric celebration of Kwanzaa, wrote his response to the CNN special on Black America in the Los Angeles Sentinel, a black newspaper titled: Peddling Pathology in the Media: Selling Dream, Drama and Dread. I’ve written about Karenga and his views regarding race and religion on my website, The Truth About Kwanzaa (see link on top of site). This article caught my eye because it tells me a little where Karenga still stands, as the article appeared last week in the Sentinel on July 24th.
We actually agree here
He starts off saying a few things that I actually agree with. He expresses his disdain for the media taking information about the Black family, showing mostly negative images without offering any real solutions. It’s the diagnosis of our problems and how to correct them where I disagree very strongly with Dr. Karenga.
Here are a few excerpts from the article that can be seen in its entirety by the link provided on the side bar:
“Whatever benefits one believes will result from the extended dissection and discussion of Black pathology in the TV “docu-drama”, “Black in America” and whatever its producers promised and pretend to accomplish, increased public insight, community initiative and “patient” involvement are not among these. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine that after so many years of pretentions and failed practice that even the media could be so submerged in self-delusion that they would believe that they are doing anything but repeating and reinforcing a racial catechism of pathology, impotence and impossibility.”
The Creator of the “Kwanzaa Religion”
Dr. Karenga’s two PhDs show profusely in his writings. Of immense worldly intelligence, he holds degrees from USIU (now Alliant International University) and USC in political science and social ethics (info from the faculty page of California State University, Long Beach). He’s used his acquired education to come up with solutions he’s formed within his philosophical framework called Kawaida theory, from which he derived the seven principles of Kwanzaa (The Nguzo Saba). These principles he believed would make black men and women better human beings, that is, if they follow them daily. (See Is Kwanzaa a Religion?)
Karenga is speaking some truth
Karenga goes on by saying,
“It is said also that showing the negative side of Black life is “keeping it real”. But that’s a deficient, degraded and degrading concept of reality in which the lowest level of Black life is posed as the model and an elevated and achieving life is viewed with disbelief and disdain. In such a context of conceptual confusion, self-destruction and distortion, thuggin and thinking low-life are posed as real, and loving each other, commitment to learning and living a good and meaningful life are seen as unreal and perhaps unreachable. The established order feeds on and funds such a conception; producing, promoting and profiting from images, music and conversations of self-condemnation, self-degradation and self-mutilation in old and new ways they’re still working on.”
I’m almost tempted to say to Dr. Karenga at this point PREACH! He’s speaking a lot of truth here. Especially when he says, “such a context of conceptual confusion, self-destruction and distortion, thuggin and thinking low-life are posed as real, and loving each other, commitment to learning and living a good and meaningful life are seen as unreal and perhaps unreachable.” Exactly my beef with CNN too!
The examples they showed, some positive, but mostly negative images of black life with no real solutions would give many the feeling of hopelessness! Sadly, the images of black Americans is reduced to that of sagging pant thugs and video vixens, a point ironically brought out by CNN.
Back to Victimization
But what does Dr. Karenga provide as the reason for these problems?
“Aware of its role as victimizer, the established order does not want us to talk about victims, damage done and justice due. Thus, it tries to redefine our rightful social justice conversation as victimhood conversation. But social justice is at the heart of a good society and is not wished or waved away. Black people, as poll after poll shows, are aware that they are not being treated justly, but the issue is always, what is to be done?”
Dr. Karenga was on a roll there but he fell “victim” to that good old victimization rant again. He’s still looking for justice as if injustices are the primary problem that black people are facing. He’s still stuck in the 60’s when social justice was the point of emphasis in a people looking for equality. Much of that has been achieved even though social injustices are still in existence.
Is he hating on Christ here?
But look closely at the creator of Kwanzaa’s following statement:
“Surely, it involves more than the magnified and manipulated hope that the “ascension” or election of one person will miraculously empower a whole people, lift them up beyond the raw and subtle racism which appears in both ragged and rich disguises.”
His use of the words “ascension” and election gives me the impression that he’s speaking of Obama and Jesus. Another place where you will find inferences to Obama and Jesus in the same sentence (not good). Of course I could be wrong and perhaps Dr. Karenga himself could provide me clear meaning here. Karenga appears to be scolding black people who would dare find hope that racism will be eradicated by electing Obama as president or by even placing their faith in Jesus Christ. Karenga has made it known his dislike of Christianity because of his belief that it’s a “white man’s religion.” He’s obviously not happy with black people looking to Obama as their political savior either - which is a good thing, albeit for the wrong reasons.
Still living in the 60’s and Self-Liberation
“Indeed, as we’ve always said, there is no remedy except thru resistance, no real strategy that does not require struggle and no way to repair injuries and injustices that afflict our lives, except by repairing the world in the process. For we are our own liberators and a people that cannot save itself is doomed to eke out its life in the marginal and minor spaces of others’ lives.”
Resistance? Our own liberators? Save ourselves? And this is after commenting in so many words that Jesus is not enough. Not only is Jesus not enough, but evidently Jesus can’t even save us because we must save ourselves. Save ourselves from whom though? He answers that question next:
“Thus, there is no alternative to taking responsibility for our own lives. Yes, the oppressor is responsible for our oppression, but we are responsible for our own liberation. And part of our being responsible is to hold the oppressor responsible for the wrong done and the justice due.”
Still believes that the White man is our oppressor
The oppressor that Karenga speaks of is representing “White Supremacy” thus, the White man Karenga is pointing the finger to. This man although very educated, is ignoring the statistics. Racial injustices are not on the top lists of whats bringing down the black family. Divorce, out-of-wedlock pregnancies, abortions, drug and alcohol additions, poverty and etc., how much of that is the “oppressor’s” fault? Blame the white man if you must, but true oppression results from the abandonment of God’s principles found in the bible - resulting in separation from God!
He ends the article with the following:
“As we’ve argued before, we are injured physicians who must and can only heal, repair and transform themselves by healing, repairing and transforming society and the world. And given the radical nature of this awesome effort, our oppressor cannot be our teacher, will not televise our work or welcome us in Washington to salvage his image and give the system a new lease on its problematic life. As Fanon says, it is a question of our engaging “on a vast scale in enlightened and fruitful work”, as men and women conscious of our tasks, committed to our struggle and confident every dawning day will “find us firm, prudent . . . resolute” and relentless in the pursuit and expansion of African and human good in and for the world.”
Real problems require real solutions
Dr. Karenga ends up placing himself in the same category as CNN: saying a whole lot without it meaning much of anything! I will give CNN this over Dr. Karenga, it is a bit more realistic on placing most of the blame back to where it belongs, on black people and not others. Karenga did his part in pointing out CNN’s faults in just talking about our ills without any real solutions.
Both CNN and Dr. Karenga have this in common: both have rejected the solution found in empowering people to conquer their ills with a real walking, talking relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ! Because of Karenga’s contempt of Christianity, he tried very hard in getting people to follow after his “new religion” of Kwanzaa. Unfortunately for him, most only celebrate it as an extension of Black History without realizing that it’s not really true Black History, but a conglomeration of made up things by Karenga. Nor do most understand that Kwanzaa IS another gospel and must be rejected by those who profess a faith in Jesus Christ.
I really hated going back to the color thing again, but this topic I couldn’t pass up because of the influence Karenga has had on this nation. When the presidents have to give Kwanzaa greetings every Christmas season, you know that it’s achieved some level of importance to people. When Kwanzaa is mentioned in the same breath as Christmas and Hanukkah, then folks must think its of some spiritual significance.
Karenga is a false teacher
Dr. Karenga must be looked upon as a false teacher. He words are attractive, especially to the intellectual crowd, but he’s teaching a deadly doctrine of humanism, the teachings that MAN is the center of his own universe, and can save himself without the help of God.
Exposing the hatred of this man to Christianity should be enough for Christians to turn their back on both Kwanzaa and Karenga. Sadly, many still don’t get it and don’t love Christ enough to obey the scriptures to not have anything to do with the those who are responsible for false teachings!
“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”
- Ephesians 5:11“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
- 2 Timothy 4:3-4“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”
- Colossians 2:8“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.” - 2 Peter 2:1-3
