Before lighting the second candle on Flossmoor’s kinara on Dec. 27, Amabel Crawford, director of learning and instruction for Flossmoor School District 161, offered a few remarks about what Kwanzaa means to her.
She said Kwanza is a time for her and her family to “reaffirm our values, how we want to live and be the rest of the year and how we want to contribute to our community.”
The theme for the second day of Kwanzaa is Kujichagulia or self-determination. According to the official Kwanzaa website, the second day invites people “To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.”
Flossmoor hosts a candle lighting ceremony at 5 p.m. each day of Kwanzaa through Jan. 1 in Flossmoor Park.