Diane Gordon has led Toledo’s Kwanzaa tradition for more than 50 years. She still remembers feeling starstruck at her first celebration in northwest Ohio in 1967 in her aunt’s home.
She recently passed the torch onto her grandson, Rodney, who will lead the community this year in celebrating the seven principles of Kwanzaa: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose and faith.
Before stepping down, she wrote a book, titled “Collective Work of Toledo Kwanzaa House,” to ensure that the celebration of African culture and values continues with the next generation.
The two sat down together to talk through this important family milestone for The Ohio Newsroom.
Their conversation has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
RODNEY: What was your first Kwanzaa celebration like?
DIANE: I was starstruck. Sitting with my family, with both my mother and her twin sister, it seemed just an enormous amount of information to take in as they talked in the language that I was not accustomed to. That was the African language of Swahili. But I gravitated to understanding the importance of knowing my history.
RODNEY: Yeah, you've definitely taught me the importance of knowing your history throughout my life. And that's pretty much why you wrote the book on Kwanzaa. Can you tell me why you did that?
DIANE: In order to leave a legacy for you guys to understand the importance of Kwanzaa, I felt it necessary to put it in writings for keepsake that you could follow and also to see the pictures where you have grown to be a young man because, you know, you started very young. I think you were 3 or 4 when you had your first Karamu [celebratory feast of Kwanzaa].
How did you feel about your first Kwanzaa celebration?
RODNEY: When I was younger, Kwanzaa was, like you said, a lot of information. And looking back on it, I'm very thankful that I've had the amount of time that I have had to absorb all of the principles. As I've gotten older, as I've sat with these principles, as I really tried to apply them to my life. I feel like I understand them a lot better.
You kept this tradition alive in our community for decades. What would you say you're the proudest of?
DIANE: Working throughout the community all year long: gathering different organizations to understand the importance of our history, teaching young people that they could be anything they desire if they just stick to it and being a part of the community as a whole and presenting it throughout the community.
One last question: Would you do it all over again?
RODNEY: I should be asking you that one! Of course I would. I've grown and developed and learned a lot as a young adult into who I am now. It's definitely given me a much stronger sense of identity and makes me feel a lot more connected to my heritage and my roots and not really feel as lost. I believe that trying to show the community all the different things that we have to offer each other is the beauty of Kwanzaa.
So I really appreciate that. Thank you, Granny.
DIANE: Thank you for taking on the task. We're going to support you for all that you're going to do in the coming future.
