UW-Green Bay among hosts for annual community Kwanzaa celebration Dec. 1

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, in cooperation with St. Norbert College and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, is inviting campus and community members to a public Kwanzaa celebration from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1 at the KI Convention Center, 333 Main St., Green Bay.

Kwanzaa is a unique African American celebration that focuses on the traditional African values of family, community, responsibility, commerce and self-improvement. It was first celebrated in 1966. This year’s community Kwanzaa celebration will focus on the theme “Women in Leadership.”

The Dec. 1 community celebration will feature entertainment including a break-dancer from the Boys and Girls Club of Green Bay East Side, and a step show performed by UW-Whitewater’s Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (an historically African American sorority). These performances will kick off around 11:15 a.m. following a welcome and introduction at 11.

The Kwanzaa event also will feature a candle-lighting ceremony at 11:30 a.m., which will be followed by keynote speaker Joyce King-McIver at noon. King-McIver is a clinical instructor in Speech Pathology and Audiology at Marquette University in Milwaukee.

The day’s events will conclude with closing words and a time for lunch and fellowship at 12:30 p.m. The Kwanzaa celebration also will include remarks from UW-Green Bay Chancellor Tom Harden, St. Norbert President Thomas Kunkel and NWTC President H. Jeffrey Rafn.

In addition to UW-Green Bay, St. Norbert and NWTC, event sponsors include UW-Green Bay’s American Intercultural Center, Office of Student Life, Black Student Union, Diversity Task Force, Office of the Chancellor, Office of the Provost and Dean of Students Office.

12-161