To strive for and maintain unity in the family,
community, nation and race.
"The ultimate level of unity for African people is Pan-African unity or unity of the world African community. This is also called unity of the race." . . . Pan-Africanism requires and urges that we see ourselves and act in history as an African people, belonging to a world community of African peoples." pg. 48.
I do have a problem when there is emphasis on unity in the name of one's color of their skin. Karenga makes the mistake of assuming world cohesiveness among African and African-American peoples. But diversity is tremendous and true unity would be impossible in this life time. Even as I write this, Ethiopia's military is attacking Somalia. 35,000 Somali people are seeking refuge in Kenya. Not even within Africa is there unity among Africans.
But in addition to utopic unity, there is the disturbing call for unity of all black people. How bothersome if it were a call of unity for white people? Some feel that because we are the minority, we are justified in calling for unity of blacks only. Reverse racism I call it and a move to create even more divisiveness within our great melting pot of a country.
From a Christian perspective, the first step in unity as a people is reconciliation with our God. To strive for unity is in vain unless God is at the helm. In the following passage, Christ prays to the
Father for unity within the body of believers:
"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." John 17:20-23
Complete unity Christ speaks about here is for all of those who will believe in Him. He didn't even call for unity of all people, but unity within His body of believers! That's a tremendous challenge in itself! One of my more difficult debates has been with another person who calls himself a Christian! We couldn't come to an agreement on much we were discussing and he didn't even want to share his personal faith. Something that most Christians are all to eager to discuss. Disunity within the body of Christ -- forget the color of one's skin!
Tomorrow: the second principle of Kwanzaa - Kujichagulia - (Koo-jee-cha-goo-lee-a) - Self-Determination
