The event at Joy Park Community Center was one of a series of daily community gatherings planned during Kwanzaa by the Akron African American Cultural Association.
Saturday’s event belatedly celebrated the principle of umoja, the Swahili word for unity. Umoja was to have been the centerpiece of an event on Wednesday, the first day of Kwanzaa, but that day’s event was snowed out, said one of the organizers, Kwesi Brown of the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party.
In addition to the lighting of the Kwanzaa candles, Saturday’s program included a panel discussion on the relationship between the Obama administration and the African-American community.
Upcoming Kwanzaa gatherings are at 6 tonight at Centenary United Methodist Church, 1310 Superior Ave., and 6 p.m. Monday at Weathervane Playhouse, 1301 Weathervane Lane, both in Akron. On Tuesday, celebrants are encouraged to mark the last day of Kwanzaa at home with family.