Kwanzaa begins today (December 26th) through January 1st.\u00a0 Although we don\u2019t actively celebrate the predominately\u00a0African American and Pan-African holiday each day, I do try to teach my children the seven principles (much like I do with the basics of other holidays).<\/p>\n
The one area that I particularly think about during Kwanzaa is whether or not I have used my finances to support any Black owned businesses throughout the year. I must admit that I fell short in 2011. Besides my hairdresser, I really don\u2019t remember using my finances to support other Black businesses. When I lived in Harlem, it was a non-issue, because several of the local businesses and places that we frequented were owned by Black people. Now that we live in Forest Hills, I just have to be more conscious. As I think of it, there are no Black owned (store front) businesses in my predominately Jewish neighborhood. (I\u2019m sure that there are other online Black entrepreneurs like myself though!) That\u2019s fine\u2026I can always travel!<\/p>\n