Share
News

Twitter Tries To Celebrate Kwanzaa, Uses Wrong Picture

Share

Twitter ran afoul of the social media emoji police on Thursday after its Kwanzaa hashtag was attacked for being inaccurate.

As noted by The Hill, the initial emoji used to mark the first day of Kwanzaa on Thursday had five candles: two red ones on the left, two green ones on the right and a blue one in between.

The actual candelabra used to mark the celebration is known as a kinara.

It has three red candles to the left of a black candle in the center. Three green candles are placed on the right.

The candles have significance. They are tied to the seven principles of Kwanzaa, and the colors are designed to be in the order of the Pan-African flag.

Following complaints, Twitter updated the emoji.

Twitter said the emoji was “an error” that it quickly repaired, but not before it was taken to task online.

Related:
Trump Announces Key White House Role for 'Unwavering' Alina Habba

“Do y’all not have folks do research beforehand?” one user asked.

Although Kwanzaa is widely recognized, a blog by Pastor Gabe Hughes notes in a blog post that did not grow out of any African tradition.

Do you think Twitter really cares about the celebration of Kwanzaa?

“Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga (born Ronald Everett), professor of African studies at California State University, Long Beach. Karenga, a secular humanist, originally meant for Kwanzaa ‘to give a Black alternative to the existing holiday and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society,'” Hughes wrote.

“Remembering and celebrating one’s heritage is not a bad thing, but Swahili is not the heritage of most African-Americans,” he continued.

“To declare Kwanzaa is a celebration of what it means to be an African-American is an insult to black Americans.”

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
, ,
Share
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack can be reached at jackwritings1@gmail.com.
Location
New York City
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Foreign Policy, Military & Defense Issues




Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.

Conversation