How to Start and Organize a Kwanzaa Community Celebration

Organizing a community Kwanzaa celebration doesn't have to be a complete nightmare. Follow the primary principle of journalism to get started:

Who? What? Where? When?

Who refers to the people in your community who will be invited to your Kwanzaa community celebration. Do you want your event to be open to the public? Is your event for a specific segment of the population? Perhaps you are planning an event for your school and want only students and friends. Or maybe you work for a church group and want to offer the celebration as a service to your community. Whatever your goal, answer this question first.

What defines your Kwanzaa community celebration. Once you've defined Who, you will have a much easier time defining what kind of Kwanzaa party is best for that group. Younger children has different needs than adults, so be sure to tailor your Kwanzaa party to the population. Your budget will also play a factor: will you be hiring musicians? Will you have craft projects? Will you have food?

Where is your location. If you don't already have an established location, you will need to find a place that suits your needs. Where you decide to have your event will likely determine when you are able to have it, because the space may be booked at different time frames. Also, the price of the rental will vary depending on the day of the week and the time of the year. Make sure to plan as far in advance as possible for larger Kwanzaa community celebrations. Smaller gatherings need less advance planning.

When will the party start? As noted above, when is frequently determined by where. Consider the needs of your Who as your plan your time. Late night parties won't work for small children, just as early morning gatherings won't draw a large teen group.

Next, the more in-depth journalist questions: Why & How.

You will answer Why are you having the community Kwanzaa celebration and How will you make this happen. These questions are more easily answered now that you've figured out Who, What, Where, and When.

Why answers your purpose or mission to holding the event. Is it purely for fun? Is it to foster a sense of community within a certain population? Is it to get your family together all in one place at one time? Having a mission is important for when you get to the advertising stage of the process.

How is your step-by-step list of everything that needs to be accomplished before the event, organized into a timeline of when each task needs to take place (and, if you are delegating, who will complete each item). It helps to have several people sit around and brainstorm as a group. Don't worry about organizing the items just yet, or ordering them in ranked importance, but just list every nitty gritty detail of the event, anything that you think might need to be done in order to pull it off. Examples include: Figure out musical instruments. Ask Honey to make her famous Duro Wat recipe. Hire someone to work the sound system. Get an MC. Design flyers. Hang flyers around town. Don't over-analyze, just write down everything that pops in your mind.

Once you have your list, organize the items in order of importance: i.e. what's essential to your Kwanzaa party (Kinaras as raffle prizes, Food, or Parking) and what can be left off the list if push comes to shove (Asking local businesses for donations, Hiring someone for PR, or whatever). The essentials are the things that make a Kwanzaa celebration impossible. Eliminate anything that doesn't seem do-able (i.e. takes too much time or money to be realistic.) Now, order what's left based on when it needs to be done: for instance, you'll need to find a graphic designer before you can hang up flyers in nearby schools. You'll have to get raffle gifts before you need the buy raffle tickets.

Now, assign deadlines. Do your best to be realistic in time constraints, meaning that if you have a full-time job don't try to cram another 20 hours worth of work into your week. Delegate to responsible others. Follow this list, and you'll be well on your way to a successful Kwanzaa community celebration in your neighborhood.