Fourth annual Kwanzaa Krawl begins Tuesday

 Fourth annual Kwanzaa Krawl begins Tuesday

Gibson-Carter started the Kwanzaa Krawl in 2020 in response to challenges faced by Black-owned businesses due to COVID-19

By Mia Holmes

STARTING December 26, the annual Kwanzaa Krawl will begin in Savannah. This event celebrates the principles and traditions of Kwanzaa.

Kwanzaa is a holiday that celebrates African-American culture and heritage. The Krawl will be hosted at Black-owned restaurants with local leaders and historians each day. I had the opportunity to speak with this year’s host and former Alderwoman, Kesha Gibson-Carter, to learn more about the upcoming event. 

Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by educator and activist Maulanga Karenga, who created the holiday to empower African Americans to rediscover and honor their African roots. Kwanzaa translates to “first fruits” in Swahili and refers to the joy and unity many Africans have when celebrating the harvest season.

There are seven principles that are part of Kwanzaa. They are Umoja (Unity), Kujichaguila (Self-determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and Imani (Faith). Furthermore, each principle is celebrated on each day of the Krawl. 

Kesha Gibson Carter (left) organized the first Kwanzaa Krawl in 2020. 

Gibson-Carter started the Kwanzaa Krawl in 2020 in response to challenges faced by Black-owned businesses due to COVID-19. The city of Savannah received CARES Act funding, which was funding given to small local businesses with cash as they were not able to operate in a normal manner. Many minority-owned businesses reached out to Gibson-Carter as they were not able to gain access to the portal for the funds or because funding had run out. 

“African Americans work in almost every kitchen in the city from dishwasher to head cook. We wanted to not only highlight and bring into focus these businesses because our local area chamber does not market them. Also, we wanted to bring into focus these restaurants and drive resources to their establishments while at the same time responding to the need to increase cultural awareness,” she says. 

This year's Kwanzaa Krawl includes notable guests such as the Salt Wata Players, Dr. Jamal Toure, and Dr. Lillian Grant-Baptiste. The event will feature various activities, including vendor displays, storytelling, songs, and dances, creating a diverse and engaging experience for attendees. 

“I felt like Kwanzaa would be an ideal holiday to pivot and touch upon strength, power, love among African Americans. Kwanzaa is essentially a cultural holiday, it's not a religious holiday. It's a cultural holiday that allows us to usher in the spirit of the principles of Kwanzaa that the system was celebrating peace and unity in our African American community as well as a time to uplift our history and our culture,” Gibson-Carter says. 

She said that a couple of new restaurants were added to the Kwanzaa Krawl. 520 Wings was a restaurant that was a part of the Krawl; however, they are in the process of relocating. The Liquid Cafe unfortunately closed. The two new restaurants added are B.Nicole Bistro, which is scheduled for December 26, and Kim’s Cafe, which is scheduled for December 31. Also, the Kwanzaa Krawl will be highlighting breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dessert restaurants. These restaurants include Hungry Vegan, Ms. Polly’s Cake Giants, Simple Soul of Savannah, Venson’s, and Nicole Desserts. 

When asked about success stories, Gibson-Carter said, “Testimonials come in shortly after the week of Kwanzaa closes with people telling us how successful it is financially. Having the exposure of between 50 to 125 people and half of them are new to your restaurant. I've also had a love story. I don't know if they will be there to say who they, are but a couple met and fell in love after meeting last year. We have an opportunity to feature young talent. We have a little girl we call The Dancing Princess Mira. Also, we have the Savannah Showstoppers who created a line dance. They are an aligned dance group that is headed by Lamont Hunter. And he helps to usher in the spirit of dance and fun. So he created a line dance specifically for Kwanzaa.”

Another success story is that one of the vendors for this year started out assisting with the tables at the Kwanzaa Krawl. Next, she moved to a kiosk booth and now she has a full-fledged store in the Oglethorpe Mall!

For those who won’t be able to attend the Krawl but still wish to support, they can call in to the restaurants and get takeout or DoorDash. Or they can also support the featured businesses throughout the year. Support can also be shown by spreading awareness, engaging with social media posts, and promoting the event's goals. Even from a distance, individuals can contribute to the success of the Kwanzaa Krawl by sharing information and encouraging others to participate. 

“It's my hope that the city will continue to sponsor the event, recognizing the benefit to our local economy. And also to expand it so that we can really build upon the piece related to cultural pride and unity so that we can figure out a way to stop the violence. We want to create an opportunity to expand the principles of Kwanzaa so that people are adopting them every day, helping them become better citizens of our community and better friends and family members,” Gibson-Carter said in regard to the future plans and goals for the Kwanzaa Krawl. 

UMOJA (Unity)

Tuesday, December 26

B. Nicole Bistro, 1639 E. Victory Drive 

Featuring Dr. Amir J. Toure

KUJICHAGULIA (Self-determination)

Wednesday, December 27

2 Chefs Gullah Geechee, 2007 Martin Luther King  Blvd.

Featuring Amen Kush

UJIMA (Collective Work and Responsibility)

Thursday, December 28

Kool Vibes Pizza & Wings, 4501 Montgomery St. 

UJAMAA (Cooperative Economics)

Friday, December 29

Odyssey 2.0, 65 W. Fairmont Ave.

Featuring Temakha Maakheru

NIA (Purpose) 

Saturday, December 30

Kreole Kitchen, 1800 E. Victory Dr.

Featuring Darien Harper

KUUMBA (Creativity)

Sunday, December 31

Kim’s Cafe, 714 Martin Luther King Blvd.

Featuring Randy Quarterman

IMANI (Faith)

Monday, January 1

Unforgettable Deli & Bakery, 238 Eisenhower Dr.

Featuring Salt Wata Players