Martina, African American - Kwanzaa, Southern Roots, & Growing Up in San Francisco

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Kwanzaa is more than a holiday — it’s a living tradition shaped by family, history, and intention.

In this Season 2 finale of Cultureful, Jess Lin sits down with Martina to explore Kwanzaa as a living tradition shaped by family, history, and community. Martina reflects on growing up in San Francisco, her family’s roots in the U.S. South, and how her grandmother’s stories influenced her early student activism and relationship with Black identity.

Together, they talk about the origins and meaning of Kwanzaa, how Martina celebrates it today as an adult and parent, and why cultural traditions matter in a world that’s constantly changing. This conversation is about heritage, memory, and the ways we create and pass down meaning—across generations and across communities.

🎥 Watch the full video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/O74Z-I7CpMk

Transcript

Transcript generated by AI and may contain errors

Martina: [00:00:00] I think I was 12. and I didn't speak Spanish, certainly not well enough, but I understood that they were protesting and they were angry about something. I didn't need to know the why.

I saw I was protesting with them, like, let's go. 

Jess: So 

you got off the bus, 

Martina: yes and

I was 

Jess: You are listening to Cultureful. I'm your host Jess Lin. This is the season two finale, and in this episode, I'm sharing a conversation with my friend Martina,

a 40-year-old African American financial analyst who works with nonprofits. Originally from San Francisco and now living in Atlanta.

Growing up in San Francisco shaped how Martina celebrates diversity alongside her own black identity.

That perspective sits alongside her family's roots in the US South,

especially the stories passed down by her [00:01:00] grandmother , 

in this episode, we explore Kwanza as a through line, connecting her grandmother's stories, Martinez's early student activism, and how her relationship with African American history and heritage has evolved over time. She also invites us into her home, To share how she celebrates Kwanza now as an adult and as a parent

. Listening to Martina made me reflect on how much has changed in this country over just a few generations, and also what hasn't The importance of family stories, cultural memory, and the traditions we create passed down and share with one another

For this holiday season whether you're needing rest and peace or craving laughter and joy. I'm wishing you and yours exactly what you need. As always, you can watch the video version on YouTube. I hope you [00:02:00] enjoy.

welcome to the show, Martina. I'm so glad you're here to talk about Kwanza.

Martina: Thanks for having me.

Jess: Yeah, 

Martina: you're the only one that could get me to do this,

Jess: Yeah.

Martina: you know, so,

yes. 

Jess: Okay, so, um, I know you grew up in sf

, what was your family set up like, and what was your neighborhood set up like?

where you grew up.

Martina: I grew up in San Francisco in the eighties. It was a fun time. I grew up in the Bayview District. I've been gone a long time, so I'm honestly not sure what they're calling it these days. it was great. It was diverse. My grandmother and my mother were originally from the south,

uh, Mississippi and Memphis and a family tragedy led my grandmother to move to San Francisco, and then I was born. so I think it was just interesting growing up with that mix of like southern roots and, and them trying to navigate all of that [00:03:00] in San Francisco or in, or California.

We moved around a little bit. 

Jess: who are the main characters that were in your life when you were a kid 

Martina: Ooh, My grandmother was a huge part of my life. she raised me for the most part, from maybe two to 11. My mom was pretty influential. She had me pretty young, so my grandmother and her sisters did a lot of the heavy lifting. there were not a lot of men in the house. And we, we found community in California. So, you know, my grandmother and aunts and mom made friends and their friends became, you know, surrogate aunts, and their children became cousins.

So that happened a lot. 

Jess: I love hearing that kind of thing because, Reuben and I, we don't have a lot of family in the US and so like a lot of our family's abroad, and so I'm always like, oh, I want to have good enough friends. Where hopefully when we [00:04:00] have kids, it can feel like a cousin environment, 

Martina: yeah, it's beautiful. And then, you know, you grow up like that, you don't really realize some of those cousins aren't biological until you grow up. And people are like, so how are you related? And you're like, wait, you're right. We're not. So that happened with a few of my cousins, but they are still my cousins.

We still call each other,

you 

know, cousins and all that. So,

Jess: Very cool. okay, so I know not everyone knows about their heritage, and I'm wondering how much do you know about your own heritage? For so many people whose families were affected by the trans-Atlantic slave trade, knowing where you come from isn't something you can take for granted.

It's something that was taken away, taken enslaved Africans had their names, languages, and family histories stripped from them The records that do exist often list people as property rather than as [00:05:00] family members. That's why many descendants hit a wall.

Before the 1870 census, the first time, formerly enslaved people were listed by name. This wasn't random. It was part of how slavery operated. Breaking families apart and denying people the ability to hold onto their own stories. Scholars call this natal alienation, basically a forced disconnection from your roots.

So today, many descendants rely on oral history, community memory, and DNA to rebuild pieces of a story that was interrupted generations ago.

Martina: Ooh, that's a tough one. Um, my grandmother, I think being from the south, she would tell me a lot of stories. I was probably too young to understand some of the stories she would tell me. So she would tell me stories about her family being a sharecropping [00:06:00] family, and I didn't really know what that meant. And she would talk about cotton and all of that, and I was, that was so foreign to me. I was born on Martin Luther King's birthday, so we share birthday. So that's where my name comes from. Martina,

Jess: January 15th? Right, 

Martina: 5th. Yes. So it was important for her. To teach me about that. So I knew really early about Martin Luther King and what he stood for, even more than what school was teaching. like the school would teach, you know, he was this passive guy and she would say no, like he, he stood for this and these other things. she was at a march, the visit, he died or was killed in Memphis because she, she lived in Memphis at the time. it was just important for her to tell me those stories herself. being young, I probably took some of it for granted. Like, okay, this is, this is a lot.

Um, but there were always books [00:07:00] in my house. so I was born in the eighties and many of us, um, may have had, encyclopedia sets in our house.

So we had that, we had a lot of books in our house and it was just important for us to read that we, she always made sure we read it. So I think I know a lot about my heritage from those moments. And then San Francisco is a pretty liberal area, so we did a lot of learning about the Black Panthers and Cesar Chavez. 

Jess: the Black Panther Party was founded in 1966 in Oakland, California. As a black led organization responding to police violence and deep inequality, 

while also running community programs like Free Breakfast for Kids and Neighborhood Health Clinics. they're often remembered mainly for armed self-defense, which was legal at the time.

That focus can miss how much of their work [00:08:00] centered on everyday care and how government surveillance and misinformation shaped their public image.

around the same time, Cesar Chavez helped found the United Farm workers in California's Central Valley organizing farm workers, 

many of them Mexican and Filipino immigrants through nonviolent protest to push for fair pay, safer conditions and basic dignity 

what started in California, spread across the US and influenced labor movements more broadly. 

They came from different communities and took different approaches, but both grew out of people coming together to protect one another and advocate for justice.

Martina: It wasn't just relegated to certain times of the year. You just constantly learn that. So I think I know quite a bit about my heritage. I have considered doing something more formal, like a ancestry test to see exactly where things are [00:09:00] falling. but I haven't done that yet. 

Jess: what are some of your grandmother's stories you remember? 

Martina: some would be traumatic, some would be comical.

I think it was a bit of a shock sometimes her living in California, so she's originally from Sardis, Mississippi, which is a very small town, and as an adult she moved to Memphis. So that was the big city for her and her siblings was, um, Memphis. So moving to San Francisco was just, I think, a bit of a shock for

her.

So some of the stories she would tell about. Like how privileged we were. One traumatic story, I hate to lead with a traumatic story, but she would tell me about her family being, a sharecropping family. 

Jess: Sharecropping took hold in the US South after the Civil War when formerly enslaved people and poor white farmers worked land, they didn't own [00:10:00] and paid rent with the share of their crops. Southern landowners and some reconstruction era officials often presented it as a path to independence.

But in reality, landowners controlled the contracts, credit and accounting, keeping many families trapped in debt.

Many of the landowners promoting the system were former slave holders or part of the same land owning class that had benefited from slavery, which shaped how sharecropping operated in practice. Sharecropping didn't end with a single law or date.

It faded slowly As farming became more mechanized, new deal policies, reshaped agricultural labor, and millions of black families left the south during the Great migration, which took place in two major waves from roughly 1916 to 1970. By the 1960s, [00:11:00] sharecropping had largely disappeared as a widespread system, though its economic effects, especially lost wealth and limited access to land, continued long after.

Martina: And I didn't really understand what that meant until I was older. They would essentially live on a piece of land that someone else owned and they would have to do a lot of heavy labor, like picking cotton and things like that, and they would get paid for that, but it would always, of course not be worth, how can I say this?

She would tell me stories of them being, cheated.

Jess: Hmm.

Martina: So let's say, to pick, cotton, you would get $10 for the bushels that you picked. There would always be an issue with what they did, and you would get $5 or $4 or something like that. And. That just seemed [00:12:00] so foreign to me.

I just never understood that. And then growing up and reading about it, that, that was pretty common. And the goal was to never, allow you any sort of freedom, but like some people were buying off or paying off debts, so essentially you weren't ever going to be able to pay off this debt. So if you and your family could live on this land, but you had the first. Pay off some, you know, a certain level of debt. The goal was to never allow you to get there.

Jess: Like the game was just rigged.

Martina: it was rigged. And you know, I was so young when she was telling this story, I didn't understand that. so to hear that from her firsthand and then later hear that just be a common practice, was pretty crazy.

And also it's like, man, that wasn't that long ago. That this was happening?

yeah. 

Jess: when she was a kid.

Martina: Yeah.

So I think it just pushed her into home ownership and education and things like that. [00:13:00] So it was important for my grandmother to own a home, like my grandmother would never rent. So even in San Francisco, she owned a home, which seemed very hard to do. I couldn't imagine owning a home in San Francisco.

But, that was very important to her. It was very important for us to read and study and go to college and all those things. Yeah, she was a, she was a beautiful woman with a complex history.

Another good story is her connection to, just different civil rights leaders, Martin Luther King particularly. I told you about

my name. The stories she used to tell me about being at the, the march when he was in town. and then I went to school in Memphis as an adult. And just going back to some of the places that she told me about, where he was shot is now a museum.

So just having that history has been, it's been nice to hear it from her and then see it, On my [00:14:00] own as an adult.

Jess: And then like imagine that, you know, she was involved in all these, historical moments and these places 

Martina: Yeah.

Jess: 

Martina: my mom and I were just, talking and I was thinking through stories and I didn't consider, my grandmother grew up in this small town in Mississippi

and then Memphis and my grandmother worked in, hospice. She was like a nursing assistant in hospice during the eighties and nineties when the, the AIDS crisis. Was at its height and my mom was just talking through her connection to a lot of the patients. Like my grandmother didn't grow up, having any real connection to homosexuality or anything like that.

And she probably had some opinions just being, you know, Christian and in a small town and just how she developed relationships and friendships With the patients and really cared for them. And it changed her perspective on things and just how open she was [00:15:00] to that. I know a lot about San Francisco was shocking to her when she first moved there, but just seeing how those experiences shaped her and changed her and how close she was to, to her patients. yeah, we were just reminiscing on that. that was beautiful.

Jess: I think anyone moving to such a different place, like of course there would be culture shock, But then like to have a window into someone's last days, that's like a different kind of bonding,

Especially she sounds like she was a very caring woman.

Martina: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. 

Jess: And I wanna get into Kwanza now. How would you explain Kwanza to someone?

Martina: it's a cultural celebration, around African culture. It, it's really supposed to bring us in the diaspora together, but anyone can celebrate it. It's not just for us, but it is celebrating African culture

Jess: and 

African American culture too, right?

Martina: and African American culture. And the beauty of it is we're all, we're [00:16:00] not a monolith.

We live in different. Countries, we speak different languages. This is supposed to be one of the things that kind of bring us together and we're just celebrating our common africanness. That's, uh, that's the beauty of it. And it shouldn't be, I don't think we should get into whether you should celebrate Christmas or Kwanza or, you know, do whatever you feel,

in your individual household. But I do think it's one thing that brings us together, and it doesn't have anything to do with religion. How much money you have. If you wanna buy gifts, sure. If you wanna make them, that's ideal, but it should just be a simple celebration to bring us all together.

Jess: Do you wanna share a little bit about the history of Kwanza and how it was founded?

Martina: yes. Kwanza was founded by Dr. Karenga. he is, based in California. He is, still with us. He's 84 years old [00:17:00] and he has a beautiful website that still teaches about the history and helps you, Kind of figure out how you can celebrate Kwanza and some interesting talking points and crafts and things like that to do each day. But it really was founded, um, around the Black Power Movement. So there were people who were very critical of the civil rights movement because it felt like it was essentially teaching us to be passive. the Black Power Movement was teaching us to not be so passive, I'll just say that. And um, there's a misconception that he was connected to the Black Panthers.

That's not necessarily true because I understand there was some tension between his group and the Black Panthers, but, he was still a part of that movement that's Black Power Movement. So it was founded out of, of, that desire just to give black people something positive, to hold onto understand their history and their culture.

So it was, The [00:18:00] colors that symbolize Kwanza are the Pan-African colors of red, black, and green.

and Swahili is the language that a lot of the principles and, and things like that are, in. So yeah, that's a little brief history. 

Jess: Did you celebrate Kwanza as a kid?

Martina: Off and on. It was not necessarily in my home so much. Some people think it's just a huge lift because it's seven days. So they're like, oh God. You know, if, if, you celebrate Christmas and then you try to incorporate Kwanza for an additional seven days. Some people just think it's a lot. So in my house we didn't necessarily celebrate formally every year. I knew what it was actually in schools. we would celebrate. I was also the president of Black Student Union

in high school for a few years, and that was important for, us to celebrate. we would have dinners and try to bring the community out. but it [00:19:00] can a lot with the seven days if you try to do everything by yourself, it could feel like a lot.

Jess: For sure. 

you're the president of the Black Student Union, which I mean, it's not surprising at all and it's not surprising at all that you were like, I wanna, plan all these things I feel like you're so consistently Martina you have like so many beautiful ideas, right?

And sometimes there are a lot, it's like fun to see them develop. But it's, it's also interesting, it's fun for me as your friend to kind of hear like, oh, this started in high school 

what was your relationship like to your black identity as a kid from, you know, all these experiences we're talking about, hearing all this stuff, learning all this stuff, and then kind of like what motivated you to become so involved in the black student union?

Martina: certainly my grandmother was a huge, she had a lot to do with that when I was younger. I didn't grow up with anyone who was ashamed of being black or didn't love that about themselves or anything [00:20:00] like that. I just grew up in an environment where it was celebrated.

but growing up in San Francisco, I do think. You had the Black Panthers over the bridge and then, you know, people being proud of that history. 

I look at what's happening in the world and I think back to how things were happening in my environment and what people did about that. There was always a protest going on. There was always something somewhere letting you know, like, we're fighting for this, protest, this, and then in my home, being proud of being black and that being celebrated. So it, it didn't feel like anything I thought about. and it was beautiful to grow up in an environment where everyone else was proud of their culture. Um

Jess: So what, what does that look like? Like for you first, but also like what you saw of your friends, but like, I think it's a little bit wild that I have this question of what does it look like to grow up seeing your culture [00:21:00] celebrated and having people around you be so proud of your culture because.

And I've had a lot of guests on this show where that's just not at all the situation. You know, maybe like they're steeped in their culture at home, but then they go out and there's like, being a minority, there's shame, there's this or that. There's code switching, whatever. Right? and maybe at home, you know, the cultural language is spoken or whatever, but this like feeling of your culture being celebrated and being proud of it.

Even for me, I'm like, oh man, that sounds like some kind of shining star that I like, can't fully understand like how, like what you mean by that. and it's wild that I don't even know what you mean by that. 

Martina: Yeah, I'll give a good example. I'll shout out my high school. I went to high school in a very small town. I'm sure you're familiar, called Pittsburgh in California. There were so many cultures represented at Pittsburgh High, but once a year we put on something called, I think it's called an international [00:22:00] festival or assembly, but it's an assembly where, students of different cultures just, perform things from their culture.

So you would have celebrations from Pacific Islanders, from African Americans, from, I mean, everyone participated and it was such a big deal. I mean, we would do it in the daytime for our peers, but it was such a big deal that we had to do it, at night and perform for the community. But it was a

longstanding thing.

Jess: do you remember any of like your performances and like, what would you share at school about your culture?

Martina: There are a lot of oratory contests. I'm not sure if that happened elementary school. I recited a lot of Langston

Jess: Mm-hmm. He was your jam.

Martina: He was my jam and it, you know, people seemed to, to like it

so I would, stick with that a lot. Mm-hmm.

In high school it was a lot of dancing.

Jess: Uh,

Martina: I something called praise dancing where it's a little, it's religious too.

[00:23:00] I've done some African dancing

Some hip hop, dancing, jazz, So it was mostly dance that I would contribute. 

Jess: Hmm.

Martina: but. Those things were just common where everyone was celebrating. We ate each other's food.

and not just during this time, but just my friends. My friends would eat things my mother made, I would eat curry and lumpia and all of that.

So I think growing up in it, you just, it felt so natural. It didn't feel like something, an adult had to pass down to us. I feel like a lot of us just naturally came together and we were friends and we respected each other's culture and we respected each other. And again, I don't want it to sound like Narnia.

I'm sure there were issues somewhere, but, but it

does feel for the

most, 

Jess: throwback reference.

Martina: see, I'm, I'm a little old. Um,

Jess: You can't be old like you're like a year older than me. Don't say you're old. 'cause 

Martina: Yeah. 

Jess: saying that I'm old yet.

Martina: Well, [00:24:00] yeah,

Jess: We got time.

Martina: we, we do have time. I think why it feels so special to me to highlight is because I realized when I left that environment and I did go to college in other places, that's not happening as easily.

And I was like, oh, I thought this was the world. Like I thought I could tear up a little bit. I thought more people, connected and celebrated each other and accepted each other. Um, I think bringing it back to Kwanza, why Kwanza is so important, I think growing up in those environments, I thought a lot of the things my grandmother told me, a lot of things I read were of the past. I didn't think people were still experiencing that level of division and racism and all of that. And it wasn't until I left California. I lived in other areas. I lived in Louisiana, I lived in, um, Memphis.

I lived in Chicago, and I really got to see like, [00:25:00] oh, this is still happening. We still do have to do a lot of work in our own communities with each other. And I do hold those memories of growing up in California with my friends and how I was taught in my house and learning about their culture. Like that's very dear to me. and it's not something you see everywhere. 

Jess: for sure. For sure. 

Martina: I don't think those dots were connected for me. Like, this is still happening in the south, or this may still be happening in other parts of the world. Mm-hmm.

Jess: Hmm. And then you left 

Martina: and 

I left. 

Jess: So it sounds like, you started celebrating Kwanza even before high school to some extent, and then high school you were kind of lead, maybe leading hosting Kwanza, and then I know now you still celebrate Kwanza. how has your celebration of Kwanza evolved over time?

Martina: So as a kid, I had some really great teachers who would bring their [00:26:00] own personal items in, and we would celebrate. So that was really rooted in history and all of that. There wasn't a lot of gift giving, in high school when I was leading it a little more. We still tried to do the history, but it was overwhelming because I tried to do, I think we just tried to do too much and we tried to do these big celebrations every day for seven days, and we were in high school with no money. So that was, that was intense.

And then I would like tell my mom that she has to cook all these things for a feast, because usually on the last day there should be some sort of feast. it was fun and the community will come out, but looking back in hindsight, it is like, you just don't need to do all of that. Just keep it simple. 

Jess: Did it take any convincing to get your mom and other family members, whoever were around that you wanted to have participate in your Kwanza, come and join in and, and kind of buy in

Martina: Not really. I mean, my [00:27:00] mom will say even today that I'm more radical than she

Jess: Uhhuh?

Martina: And she'll say, I get that from my grandmother.

Like, I act just like my grandmother. like, I'm always upset about something. I'm always like, I'm always like, let's boycott this. Let's not do this. I have some interesting stories of joining other protests when I was younger.

So my mom drove, she drove a city bus is her job, but sometimes she would take jobs like driving, other groups, you So one particular time she was driving for, migrant workers, they were protesting, conditions in California. And I was riding with her and she thought that I would just sit and just, you know, play a game or, you know, just ride or sleep because that's normally what I would

do. No, and I didn't speak Spanish, certainly not well enough, but I understood that they were protesting and they were angry about something. I didn't need to know the why.[00:28:00] 

I saw I was protesting with them, like, let's go. 

Jess: So 

you got off the bus, 

Martina: yes and

I was like, I think I was 12.

Jess: you just Okay. for the listener, that's. Listening and not watching Martina just, you know,

Martina: I raised a fist. Yes. Um, but yeah, so I, I did understand, some of the issues going on with migrant workers. but for that particular protest, I did participate, and she's like, you've always been like that. Like someone's fighting and you're like, okay, I'm going.

I'm, I'm showing up,

I'm supporting. So, to her, I've always been a little more radical. So she, she'll make a joke about that, but honestly, she's always been supportive and my mother, cooks all my meals still. She'll come and cook all my meals.

So when I have an idea about like, let's do this big feast, even when I said that in high school, my mother cooked,

Jess: So she was the one making the mm-hmm. [00:29:00] No. Yeah. Yeah. Not me. Not me.

Uh.

Martina: My mom. My mom cooks, most of the food. Some other friends and their parents brought some things, but for the most part, my mom cooked the food and she would always be supportive that way and helping me come up with a craft or come up with a gift or things like that. So even if she gripes about, ugh, what else is she

Jess: Mm-hmm. 

Martina: supportive.

Jess: so your grandmother, how much did she celebrate Kwanza 

Martina: So my grandmother, it's funny, it feels like her era was like, civil rights like Martin Luther King. She thought Malcolm X was probably a little radical, but she certainly, you know, celebrated him as well. And then Kwanza came out or was founded rather in 1966. So to her, I just think it's something that was kind of new and felt radical, and she didn't grow up with it. It's something. She [00:30:00] honestly learned more about probably, with me talking about it in my studies, especially when I, was associated with the Black Student Union and we celebrated it. I think that was her celebrating it,

I wish I could find this picture of my grandmother with this, it had like kente cloth and it was from either that celebration or maybe a graduation of mine. I remember her just being proud that we were honoring our heritage. You know, I think, I think she was a little shocked that some of this stuck with us, she told us some of these stories when we were so young, and to be honest, sometimes I did probably roll my eyes like, oh God, this is so much, this is so heavy. but I think she was shocked how much this stuck with us, and I think she was proud that, you know, I was a part of the Black Student Union and she saw some of the work that we were doing. I just remember her saying and expressing how proud she was of, of [00:31:00] that. 

Jess: And knowing that she kind of, all her stories kind of landed Somewhere. 

in your head. Yeah.

Martina: Yeah.

Jess: After the break, Martina shares how she celebrates Kwanza now as an adult in her own home and what she hopes her daughter carries forward one day.

Hey, everyone. Jess here Before we jump back into the final part of our season two finale, I have an exciting announcement. We'll be back in January for season three. We've just launched our founding supporter appeal. If you love this show, believe in the importance of this kind of storytelling and representation, and if ful has given you a new perspective this year.

I need your support to grow its impact

you become a part of the founding story of this next chapter. When you donate before January 15th,

Whether you can chip in [00:32:00] once or make a small monthly contribution, Your support helps us amplify diverse voices and ensures we come back strong in January.

Please visit the link in the show notes to join the circle of founding supporters. Thanks so much. . Now let's get back to the conversation.

So now as an adult, like, so when did you, um, start incorporating it into your own life? As an adult?

Martina: I think, off and on in my twenties I would start, I would have big plans to have a big celebration that I would host

for seven days, invite all these people,

and 

then, well, that would be my plan,

And then as it would get closer, I'm like, yeah, no, I can't do all of that. it would normally just end with a big feast and me just doing small things in my household. Amongst my friends. so it's looked different each year. [00:33:00] I really do want it to be a regular thing that we're doing in our household for the full seven days. 

Jess: what is your ideal Kwanza seven days look like? And like, take me through like each day. What would 

you wanna do? Each day?

Martina: There's seven principles for the seven days. You have the canara, I have this behind me. I don't know if you can see it.

Jess: That's the holder of the candles. 

Martina: Yes. and that's how it should be positioned like.

That's still up from last year. Last year. so you have the black candle in the middle and then the three red, three green, and they represent a principle. So each day you are lighting a candle and you should be lighting it with your loved ones. you normally have a cup, and you pour libations out for loved ones that have passed on. And you're saying [00:34:00] prayers and sending well wishes to them and your loved ones in attendance and those who could make it, of course. So ideally for me, I would want to highlight each of the seven principles. and they're all in Swahili so the first one is Umoja for Unity. The second day is JI ChaLea. for self-determination. The third one is Ujima for Collective Work and Responsibility. That's my favorite one. the fourth one is UJA ma, which is Cooperative Economics. Fifth one is Nia Purpose Six. Kuumba Creativity. Seven. Imani Faith. So each day there's a whole website. that's still kept up by the founder of this in his group, and they give you recommendations on what you should do each day. So maybe on day six, around creativity, you're [00:35:00] making crafts with your kids and your loved ones and your're giving those out to your friends and family. But to me, I would want each day to represent what the Swahili word means. And it doesn't have to take all day. We just spend some time coming together reflecting on what that means. Lighting the candle, saying a prayer. And, some people feast more than once. But again, I like to do it at the end, but to me it shouldn't take a lot of time.

It's just kind of a, a pause and reflect reflection time. I would like it to look like that for, for seven days with loved ones.

And I would like to have all these people at my home. And we do it together.

Jess: Ugh. And like reflect out loud together. 

Aw, 

Martina: out loud. Mm-hmm.

Jess: that sounds really beautiful.

Martina: So I came across this book I'm sure you know, but a liturgy is just like a public prayer and it's such a good book. But she has a section in there [00:36:00] around Kwanza, so there's a, a public prayer for Kwanza, and that's been beautiful to just read out loud. It's called Black Liturgies by Cole Arthur Riley. It is amazing.

it's beautiful and she has something for all seven days. This is great if you're starting out and are a little intimidated by leading a collective prayer and meeting and all of that. And when you get to the point where you're pouring out libations, I mean, it could be alcohol if that's what you're into. It could be tea or water, but you just name those ancestors that you, that come to mind for you. Um, and it's just a simple practice and it's beautiful to remember everyone. But this is a great book if you need help getting started. I'm, I'm excited to pull that out this time of year.

Jess: So what, what are your plans this year? Like, do you know who you wanna celebrate with this year?

Martina: Ooh, that's a good question. So now I have [00:37:00] a daughter, and it's been important for me to help her understand the importance of Kwanza, the why. So she still. Of course she wants to celebrate Christmas and she understands like basically gifts. Uh, so for her, initially when she heard Kwanza and it was seven days, she's like, yeah, seven days of gifts.

And I'm like, no, no. So it was important for me, uh, to really try to teach her what it's about, why it's important, the history of it, um, even how it came together and why it was important, for it to be founded during that time. So she understands some, she still likes the idea of seven days of gifts, but I try to keep her away from that. This year I thought of doing something creative and um, you'll have to be honest and tell me if this sounds great, because you'll be a part of this,

Jess: yay. 

Martina: So [00:38:00] one idea I had, because it's a lot to get people together for seven days, I thought about doing, I, I'll come up with a better name, but like Kwanzaa in a box. Like give friends a gift box and it'll have something representing each of the seven days. A little history and my prayers and good wishes for you

and your family. but just some things that hope and I will make mostly from scratch. There will be some things that we'll get from some local, Folks, but for the most part we'll try to make things and then we'll put it in a box for our loved ones and that'll represent the seven days. And then on the last day we will have a feast that I will cook and hope will help me. 

Jess: Oh, I'm excited. That's beautiful. That's just I think that's a great way for you to not have to have, for people to not come every day. 'cause that's hard schedule wise. but then to have something to, you know, maybe think about on their own and then come together at the [00:39:00] end and.

Uh, that sounds nice. I like that plan.

Martina: So you like this plan. Okay.

So yeah, I think that will be what we do. We'll just have a box representing all seven days.

Jess: what would you tell your guests before they come to the feast? Like, is it potluck? Is it like, what do you wear? What to expect? What do you, if someone hasn't been to Kwanza before, like how, how does one.

Attenda feast,

Martina: Um, definitely come hungry. 

Jess: uh

Martina: There'll be plenty of food. Um, I would give them a little background on Kwana. I think for me it is really important for everyone to feel like they. Have a place in a kwana celebration, so you don't have to be African, African American, black, it, it doesn't matter. we're all here to enjoy this and celebrate together.

Not necessarily a potluck. You can [00:40:00] bring if you want. like I would always bring something if I was going, but I would expect. Everyone can bring something. 

Jess: do you have a favorite thing to eat during Kwanza?

Martina: Ooh. So the seventh day also happens to be New Year's

Day. So that feast just kind of meshes together with New Year's day. So my mom feels like we always need to have something green. So it's usually greens.

So you may have collards or mustard or turnip, but it should be greens and black eye peas. I personally don't love black eye peas, but you have to cook them so

they have to, it, it's a must. And I try to be creative. I have all these nice cookbooks where I try to like, maybe I can make black eye pea fritters this year

or like turn it into some. [00:41:00] Creative thing that I may enjoy this year, but, there, there's normally something 

with a sweet potato in it. So those are normally the staples. So even if I would love to eat and fries, it can't happen because

Jess: Doesn't feel like Kwanza.

Martina: it doesn't feel like Kwan and my mother will judge me.

So I need to have those three things at least. Yeah.

Jess: Yummy. I think those sound yummy so sweet potatoes.

do you have favorite ways? That you've seen soup, potatoes, prepared.

Martina: The classic way is a sweet potato pie, 

Jess: Mm-hmm.

Martina: um, or just kind of candied sweet potatoes, which are very sweet. I don't really do a ton of sweets, but some people like them candied and they alternate. Like you see, some people use sweet potatoes or yams. Some people call them yams, but they're sweet potatoes. 

Jess: Yep. Yes. Yeah. We've definitely had that where like Ruben thinks he is [00:42:00] buying sweet potatoes, but he is definitely buying yams.

And 

Martina: yeah. 

Jess: yeah.

What do you wear? 

Martina: you know, I've been to some where there's a strong recommendation to wear like African clothing, but I would never, I wouldn't request that in my home. Just, just be, just come and be comfortable. Um, so we can eat, be merry. Have an open mind, while we discuss and celebrate some things. Yeah. 

Jess: Mm-hmm. so if, if people wanna bring something is it something that's like, would you give any parameters on what to bring food wise?

Martina: for my home, I have restrictions around food that, you know, we don't eat pork or shellfish as a family, so those things, but usually no for most kwana celebration. There usually aren't any restrictions. What's always a good thing, is like wine or drinks or things like that. Yeah.

There's usually a good amount of drinking and then you need something for the libations. 

Jess: Yes. [00:43:00] and then 

do you feel like growing up celebrating Kwanza and then kind of becoming an adult and hosting Kwanzaa more and more, does it have any impact on your relationship to your heritage?

Martina: absolutely. I think I've always been really interested in learning about. My history, our history, comparing that to, you know, what's being perpetuated, what's being taught, and then reading books for myself now being a mom, passing that on to my daughter, she's 11, making sure she's always curious about her own history. I think Kwanzaa is a great reminder of that. And again, it is, it's so many ways that we're divided even amongst, you know, African and African American people or people across the diaspora. It's, it is, it's hurtful sometimes how many ways we're divided. So I think this is one reminder, like, listen, let's just come [00:44:00] together and just celebrate, just celebrate with each other. We don't have to worry about if you're Christian, if you're Muslim, if you're Jewish or whatever, or. Not religious, you don't have to be religious. yeah, I think this is just one of those things that reminds us to just connect, leave everything else behind. And it, it is a great way to do that. And it constantly reminds me to, honor the work that's, you know, happened before us.

A big part of Kwanzaa too is honoring your ancestors. I know other cultures do that and do that well, and I think being African American, that's not something we do necessarily or taught to do, especially if you grew up in a Christian household. so I think Kwanzaa is a way to remember our ancestors, not being afraid of that practice.

that's been a, that's been a big one for me because I didn't necessarily grow up religious, but. my grandmother was Christian and that's just not something you're taught. And then [00:45:00] you learn about Kwanza and you're doing the libations and calling out the names and all of that. And that's just a beautiful practice that we don't necessarily grow up doing.

Jess: Mm. 

Jess: when you've done the full seven days in the past,

like what are the emotions that come up? You know, is it kind of like every day is like a different layer of something because of the theme, or is it like. Just kind of a similar feeling that you get, you know, that you deepen a connection, a gratitude, a um, I guess like emotionally, what is the experience of doing the full seven days like for you?

Martina: Huh? I feel like I feel a range of emotions. There's usually gratitude just because I do remember a lot of the stories that my grandmother told me, but I also. Just growing up, reading myself [00:46:00] and understanding the sacrifices that she made and her family made.

Um, like for instance, my grandmother didn't go to college and that was really important to her for us to go and she sacrificed a lot to make sure we, we went and just being grateful for just the sacrifices she made.

And, um, I think about her a lot during that time. Um, also some anger, if I could be honest,

because I think about how far we've come necessarily, but it doesn't feel like it, like it doesn't, it doesn't feel like we have this unity amongst each other. It's really hard to come together, in a lot of groups. it doesn't feel like our history is being honored and taught.

Jess: By who?

Martina: Certainly not in schools. Um, I even see some of the things my daughter's being taught, like this [00:47:00] year they spent a lot of time learning about the American Revolution and just some of the things she would come home and say, and I'm like, I'm a little shocked that just doesn't feel like a, a well-rounded, lesson.

Jess: Yeah. She's in fifth grade now, 

Martina: she's in fifth grade.

Jess: Mm-hmm.

Martina: yeah. So sometimes, there's gratitude, there's some anger.

you know, I love being in the south. It's been very eye-opening. It, I've learned a lot of, I've seen a lot, a lot of things I've read. I've been able to see, like, I've gone to Mississippi, I still see where people are growing cotton.

I still, you know, gone to Montgomery and seen that in Selma and all these places. So it's been great to be able to see those things. But, it's unfortunate like how far we still have to go and we're not there. Um, and even when I say the history's not being taught even in our own homes, you know, we're not teaching our children our history.

We're relying on [00:48:00] schools and,

and things like that to teach.

And if we're just talking about black people, specifically African Americans, it feels like we're getting. A little too caught up in the trappings, how much money we're making, how many degrees we have, and we're losing connection with our history and each other and our community. And it's just becoming about the trappings.

So when I say so much further, that's great that we, have great careers and homes and degrees and businesses, but we are losing something when we're not passing our history onto our children, and to each other. Because I think that, for me, that was a beautiful part about living in a place like San Francisco. I learned a lot about other people's cultures too, and I was very open to it and receptive to it. and it taught me a lot about myself as well. And then I learned that we, a lot of us share similar histories. So I think I [00:49:00] being black. Me learning my history, teaching it to my children, but even teaching it to my friends and my neighbors and exposing them to, to it as well is important.

Jess: Yeah, I'm grateful that, well, first you just gave me the chills, you 

know, I? 

just got the chills. I just, Um, and honestly, for me, Kwanza, you know, I grew up in California too, and I remember learning about it, kind of like in the background because I grew up in a neighborhood with.

Not that many African Americans. And yeah, it was just something that I feel like was very briefly mentioned. And so, I'm not sure if any of my close friends celebrate Kwanza. I think you're my first close friend that celebrates Kwanza. And so I'm so glad that this is giving me an opportunity to like, learn more about it.

And maybe not the opportunity, 'cause I think it was always there, but this is giving me the impetus to be like, okay, I wanna learn more about this. How come I don't already know more [00:50:00] about this? Feeling a little bit embarrassed, but you know, it's all a process.

I think, saying that like, anger comes out, thank you for being real. I feel like.

I think I would be surprised maybe. I don't know that I expected you to say anything when you know specific, when I asked about, you know, what feelings come up. But I think if anger wasn't there, I think I would also be a little bit 

surprised. 

Martina: Yeah,

Jess: it's a hard history.

Martina: it's a, it is a hard history and I think, I don't wanna just speak to just what's going on in the political climate right now, because I think for many of us, this isn't new.

I mean, it's a little crazy, but it isn't. Super shocking what's going on, but it does anger you when you learn about your own history, but again, like learning about a lot of people's history and then you, compare that to what you're being taught in school and you're like, they are not talking about that at all.

And

then you actually learn about what actually happened [00:51:00] to, a lot of us. Yeah. It does make you really angry. And grateful for your, your grandparents and ancestors and all those people who en endured all that. So Kwanza to me, is an opportunity to celebrate, remember, honor the beautiful parts of our history, our ancestors.

It's even forward thinking like when you talk about cooperative economics. Things like that. There is supposed to be moments where you're getting together and supporting businesses in our community, thinking up businesses in our community. so it's just a beautiful time to just think about all the beautiful things that are happening and could happen in our community. Yeah.

Jess: that's a great segue into if you wanna share a little bit about some of your personal projects.

Martina: Yeah, so I am in the very early stages of starting, a social enterprise. So it will include a [00:52:00] bookstore that will focus on books around social justice, collective liberation, things like that. we'll also have a coffee brand where we'll work really closely with, farmers, in origin countries. a lot of those proceeds will fund a nonprofit that will do some grant making and, Collective community service giving back, so we hope to have everything launched early next year. So crossed,

Jess: Awesome. 

Martina: on the lookout for all of that good stuff.

Jess: Yeah. And, 

We'll, have you on to talk about your journey with spirituality?

So now we're gonna talk more about your projects then. okay. last question to wrap up. 

Martina: Okay.

So, time capsule question. Two part time capsule question. First part is, what do you want your daughter hope to know about you in this chapter of your life? And how you're trying to [00:53:00] put on Kwanza.

I would want her to know, uh, it didn't hit me until you asked this question, like, I feel like I'm doing what my grandmother did. For me,

like it was important for me to tell her about not just my history, but her history, our culture, understanding that you'll get some of it from school and friends and you know, just being in the world, but how important it is for you to have that foundation at home and how I can shape that. And not just through what I'm telling you, like the books that you're reading, that you, that you understand your culture from, from that lens, from me books and things like that. I hope she knows like that. I try to keep this going. Like there's a lot of noise out there honestly, there's a lot of. There's a lot trying to teach you some negative things about your culture and who you [00:54:00] are and, but your mom and relatives and, you know, there's, there's other, we're working really hard to make sure we counter that and I hope she sees that. She feels that she knows that and I hope that's something she does 

with her children and grandchildren. 

Jess: The second part of the time capsule question is, what do you hope her relationship will be with Kwanza when she's 40?

What do you want to tell her for that stage of her life?

Martina: That's a beautiful question. Um. I hope that this is something that she is carrying on.

I'm, I'm framing this like I won't be here forties. Not,

Jess: gonna be here?

Martina: I won't, yeah. I'll be here

grandchildren hopefully, although hope is lukewarm on children, so we don't know about that. 

I hope she's taking it to another level, like it's just a natural part of her life. and that she's honoring those traditions in her [00:55:00] home. I hope by the time she's 40, she's doing it and I could just come to her home too, and all of that. But I do hope it's something that she continues. Right now, it seems like she enjoys it, finds beauty in it, and I hope it's just something that she continues and passes on to her children and her community and her friends, and that people think it's cool and her friends think it's cool and, and they do it. Dress up. Maybe they'll be. Things you wear and you know, they do all those fun things with it.

Jess: Mm-hmm.

Thanks for sharing that. That's beautiful. Thank you.

Martina: Thank you.

thank you for highlighting this topic. I think. At first I'm like, would anyone wanna know about this? And then as we talk through it, just understanding how, yeah, this is about Kwanza, but it's really about all of us [00:56:00] connecting to our culture, to each other. so I hope everyone can celebrate. If it's not Kwanza, celebrate something important to you this season.

Even if you don't have all the things,

just take some time to celebrate your culture, your family, your community. Yeah. we all find time to do that this season.

Jess: Me too.

Martina: Yeah,

Jess: Thanks for being on the show. Thanks for coming 

and 

sharing. 

Martina: this is my first podcast guys. Thank you so much.

Jess: Thanks so much for listening. Wow. What a season. to every single person who listened, shared, and found a moment of connection with us. Thank you From the bottom of my heart. 

Jess: and here's the great news again. We are officially coming back for season three in January.

If this kind of storytelling matters to you, or you just like hanging out with me and my [00:57:00] guests, 

I'm inviting you to join the circle of founding supporters, Community contributions by January 15th help us grow the show and keep it free. 

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This episode was produced and edited by me with advising and executive production support from Ruben Gnanaruban. I'm Jess Lin, 

Thank you for being here on this journey and see you soon in January