DEJA KICKS OFF TO KWANZAA BY FEEDING THE LESS FORTUNATE
December 27, 2018
WILMINGTON, DE – The Delaware Juneteenth Association (DEJA) (Miss Juneteenth and her court, joined by parents, Board of Directors along with The Bellefonte Lions Club and the Edgemoor Leos gathered at Simpson United Methodist Church, to makes “Sandwich HOPE bags” for the less fortunate in partnership with the Emmanuel Dining Room West. This was another sponsored event of The Delaware Juneteenth Association (DEJA) Pageant and Family Enrichment Program developed to accommodate the contestant families.
Volunteers gather to make sandwiches during a Kwanzaa kickoff event Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018, at Simpson United Methodist Church in Wilmington, Delaware. Photo By Saquan Stimpson
The participants and families bonded with each other as they participate in yet another community activity to enhance their cultural awareness while promoting humanitarian education and healthy family values.
Freshly made sandwiches seen being placed into white paper bags during a Kwanzaa kickoff event Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018, at Simpson United Methodist Church in Wilmington, Delaware. Photo By Saquan Stimpson
Kwanzaa is not a religious occasion. It is an African-American festival held annually from the 26th of December to January 1st to celebrate life and the harvest. The seven principles of Kwanzaa are Unity, Self-Determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity and Faith. The festival was first celebrated in 1966 in the United States.
Volunteers place snacks into white paper bags during a Kwanzaa kickoff event Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018, at Simpson United Methodist Church in Wilmington, Delaware. Photo By Saquan Stimpson
Background: Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, commemorates the June 19, 1865, announcement of the abolition of slavery in Galveston, TX. President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation (abolition of slavery) and became an official on January 1, 1863. Delaware was the 4th state to celebrate and observe and has been celebrating Juneteenth for 25 years.