(TheRedWire.com) – Dr. Maulana Karenga created the African-American holiday of Kwanzaa in 1966. While the idea behind the event is to create an inclusive celebration centered on the Black culture, its founder’s dark past casts it in a bad light.
Karenga, whose birth name was Ronald McKinley Everett, is a felon with violent convictions on his record. Two Black women accused him of kidnapping and torturing them. A jury found him guilty of beating them and he served prison time for his crimes and went on to create Kwanzaa.
Many could argue the holiday founder’s sickening past should give people pause before they fully embrace the celebration, and it most definitely should make the President of the United States think twice before recognizing it. Still, it didn’t seem to bother Joe Biden, who sent out a cheery message to those celebrating the made-up holiday.
As we begin the seven days of Kwanzaa, Jill and I send our best wishes to everyone celebrating. May this time of reflection on the rich heritage of African American culture bring peace, unity, and joy.
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 26, 2021
Biden spoke of how the holiday is time to reflect on “peace, unity, and joy.” Arguably, the man who terrorized two Black women didn’t show them any of those things. He was angry, violent, and terrifying when he did those terrible things to the women, and he never confessed his wrongdoings.
Perhaps Biden wasn’t aware of Karenga’s nefarious past when he wished Kwanzaa revelers well. However, if he wasn’t, that’s a problem. As the leader of the free world, shouldn’t he have done better and made sure he understood what and who he was cheering on?
Copyright 2021, TheRedWire.com
