Raleigh's First Annual Kwanzaa Celebration To Air Virtually

Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts and the African American Cultural Festival of Raleigh and Wake County announce Raleigh's First Annual Kwanzaa Celebration. The celebration will be filmed in the Meymandi Concert Hall and will air January 1st.

Kwanzaa is an annual celebration of African American culture that is held from December 26 to January 1. Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles; Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), Imani (Faith).

"We're proud to co-present Raleigh's First Annual Kwanzaa Celebration alongside the African American Cultural Festival of Raleigh and Wake County," said Michelle Bradley, Duke Energy Center's Interim Assistant GM. "Honoring African American heritage is so important and we're honored to be apart of this cultural celebration," said Bradley.

The virtual celebration will include a moving Kwanzaa Ceremony, a special dance tribute to the late Baba Chuck Davis, founder of the African American Dance Ensemble from Durham, NC in honor of his 84th birthday on January 1st, also featuring performances from Jaki Shelton Green, the first African American and third woman to be appointed as the North Carolina Poet Laureate, and other inspiring entertainment.

"The African American Cultural Festival of Raleigh and Wake County is honored to collaborate with the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts on Raleigh's Inaugural Kwanzaa Celebration. During these unprecedented times, we remain committed to uplifting and bringing our community together by curating opportunities to promote, preserve and celebrate African American culture and heritage," said Pam Thompson Smith, Executive Director of the African American Cultural Festival of Raleigh and Wake County.

For more information visit, www.dukeenergycenterraleigh.com and www.aacfestival.org.