Nguzo Saba
Kujichagulia
Self Determination
To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves instead of being defined, named created and spoken for by others.
Ujima
Collective Work and Responsibility
To build and maintain our community together. To make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems to solve together.
While looking through the African American timeline, it's amazing to see how much African Americans have achieved throughout these past two eras and how little we are taught about it. Two of my favorite Nguzo Saba principles are the Kujichagulia and Ujima principles. The Kujichagulia principle is the one that stresses the importance of self determination. It's so important for people to empower themselves from within as opposed to being given power from another group of people. Self determination is so important. The leaders of the civil rights movement were predominantly African American, and the needed to empower the African American community from within. The Ujima principle is to build and maintain our community together. To make our brother's and sisters' problems our problems to solve together. For me, this principle and the Kujichaguilia principle go hand in hand. It's a joint effort to help a community rise together and empower themselves.
I agree with you that it is astounding to see how much African Americans have achieved especially since it was so hard for them to keep fighting. People do need to learn more about African American history and not just the big events that happened but also the small events since they contributed to the success that African Americans now have. I also agree that self determination is important because without it, the African American community might now have had the ability to keep trying for their rights after so many failures/roadblocks.
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