Kwanzaa Holiday creator will keynote FAMU's Black History Convocation

Maulana Karenga, creator of the pan-African cultural holiday Kwanzaa and the Nguzo Saba (The Seven Principles), will serve as the keynote speaker for the Black History Month Convocation on February 14 at 10:10 a.m. in the Gaither Gymnasium.

Karenga, a professor and chair of Africana Studies at California State University—Long Beach, holds two Ph.D.’s, one in political science (United States International University) and another in social ethics (University of Southern California) as well as an honorary doctorate from the University of Durban, South Africa. 

Karenga is also the author of numerous scholarly articles and books – including Maat, The Moral Ideal in Ancient Egypt: A Study in Classical African Ethics; Selections From The Husia: Sacred Wisdom of Ancient Egypt; The Book of Coming Forth By Day: The Ethics of the Declarations of Innocence; Odu Ifa: The Ethical Teachings; and Introduction to Black Studies, 4th Edition. Karenga is the author of the authoritative text, Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture.

He is also the recipient of numerous awards for scholarship, leadership and service. He is the recipient of the National Council for Black Studies’ Paul Robeson-Zora Neale Hurston Award for Scholarly Work Significantly Contributive to the Understanding, Development and Appreciation of African World Culture; the C.L.R. James Award for Outstanding Publication of Scholarly Works that Advance the Discipline of Africana and Black Studies; the National Leadership Award for Outstanding Scholarly Achievements in Black Studies; and the President’s Award for Scholarship and Service in the Development of Black Studies, African Heritage Studies Association.

Karenga is the subject of the newly released book by Molefi Asante titled Maulana Karenga: An Intellectual Portrait.  Karenga is currently writing a book on the social and ethical philosophy of Malcolm X titled The Liberation Ethics of Malcolm X: Critical Consciousness, Moral Grounding and Transformative Struggle.