Kwanzaa celebrations kick off in Washington, D.C. [Video]

WASHINGTON — In Southeast D.C., folks got to watch dance performances and songs as part of Anacostia Community Museum’s introduction to Kwanzaa on Thursday.

The seven-day holiday celebrates African heritage, unity and culture, with each day promoting a principle designed to encourage building a strong community.

The first day’s principle is Umoja, which calls for “Unity”, and asks for attendees to remember that a community is stronger when its people are unified. The next six principles are:

–    Kujichagulia, or self-determination

–    Ujima, or collective work and responsibility

–    Ujamaa, or cooperative economics

–    Nia, or purpose

–    Kuumba, or creativity

–    Imani, or faith

“We must strive together, work together, stand together, take care of each other, in the tradition of our ancestors who understood the value that when you want to change something, you must change it together,” Mama Ayo Handy-Kendi told …