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KWANZAA 2025
Denver Announces Kwanzaa 2025
“Growing the Voices of Kwanzaa”
Denver, Colorado — The Kwanzaa Committee of Denver proudly announces the full lineup for Kwanzaa 2025, guided by this year’s theme: “Growing the Voices of Kwanzaa.” Each year, Denver hosts one of the largest and most culturally rooted Kwanzaa celebrations in the country—uplifting elders, empowering youth, and strengthening community connections across generations.
“Kwanzaa has always been about bringing our entire community together—elders, young people, families, and future leaders,” said Deborah Sims Fard, Director of the Kwanzaa Committee of Denver. “Intergenerational activities are at the heart of our work because culture is strengthened when every voice is included. When we celebrate Kwanzaa, we honor our heritage, uplift our children, and build the unity needed to move forward together.”
Kwanzaa 101
According to Kwanzaa’s creator Dr. Maulana Karenga, “It [Kwanzaa] was created in 1966 in the midst of our struggles for liberation and was part of our organization Us’ efforts to create, recreate and circulate African culture as an aid to building community, enriching Black consciousness, and reaffirming the value of cultural grounding for life and struggle.”
Dr. Karenga and his wife with community at brother jeff's Cultural Center
In his preface to Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture, Karenga writes, “Clearly within these 30 years, interest in Kwanzaa has steadily grown and so has the number of it celebrants. This phenomenal growth, which includes over 20 million celebrants throughout the world African community, is engendered and sustained by the rich and varied meaning Kwanzaa has for us as a people. The holiday speaks to our constant quest to be rooted in our own culture, to speak our own special cultural truth in a multicultural world and to practice values and share a vision which reaffirms and reinforces the best of family, community and culture.”
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SUPPORTERS
brother jeff’s Cultural Center
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theater
Denver Foundation
Denver Kwanzaa Committee
Denver Public Library
Denver Weekly News
Urban Spectrum Magazine
Zion Senior Center
KWANZAA 2025 MAIN ATTRACTIONS
NIGHTLY, DECEMBER 26 – JANUARY 1
GRAND KINARA LIGHTINGS
Every night 5:00 p.m.
Five Points
2401 Welton Street, Denver, CO 80205
Umoja
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 26
Opening Celebration & Circle of Wisdom Inductees
6:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Hosted by brother jeff’s Cultural Center
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theater
119 Park Avenue West, Denver, CO 80205
Kujichaulia
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27
Community Kwanzaa Presented by Brotherhood Haven
12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Ford-Warren Library
2825 High Street, Denver, CO 80205
Ujima
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28
Children’s Kwanzaa
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Hosted by Brotherhood Haven
Grace Stiles African American Heritage Center
2607 Glenarm Place, Denver, CO 80205
Ujima Game Night
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Hosted by The Epitome of Black Excellence
2900 Welton Street, Denver, CO 80205
Ujamaa
MONDAY, DECEMBER 29
Senior Kwanzaa Luncheon
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Hosted by Dr. Claudette Sweet
5151 E 33rd Avenue, Denver, CO 80207
Nia
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30
Opalanga’s Big Dance
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
CrossPurpose
3050 Richard Allen Court, Denver, CO 80205
Kuumba
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31
TBD
Imani
THURSDAY, JANUARY 1
Grand Kinara Lighting and In-Home Family Reflections
5:00 PM
26th & Welton — Heart of Five Points
Denver Public Library Events
Friday, December 19, 2:00 - 3:30 pm
Vision and Dream Boarding
Blair - Caldwell African American Research Library
2401 Welton Street Denver, CO 80205
https://denverlibrary.libcal.com/event/15405481
Saturday, December 27, 12:00 - 2:00 pm
Brotherhood Haven Presents: Growing the Voices of Kwanzaa
Ford - Warren Branch Library
2825 High Street Denver, CO 80205
https://denverlibrary.libcal.com/event/15601530
Visit www.denverlibrary.org for a complete listing of DPL events.
Circle of Wisdom
Four leaders in our community are selected to be honored each year as part of the Circle of Wisdom.
We honor leaders who have advanced Kwanzaa and shown activism in the community.
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1997 | Isetta Crawford Rawls, Author
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1998 | Opalanga D. Pugh, Grio
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1999 | Kenneth Grimes, Author and Hiawatha Davis, Jr., City Councilman
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2000 | Dr. Jennie Rucker, Educator and Dr. Rene Rabouin, Educator
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2001 | Mildred Pitts Walter, Author and DR. Paul Hamilton, Educator
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2002 | Grace L. Stiles, Educator and Baba Adetunji Joda, African Dance
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2003 | Letitia S. Williams, Educator and Perry Ayers, Artistic Director
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2004 | Dr. Claudette Sweet, Community Activist and John Marsh, Community Activist
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2005 | Thedora Jackson, Community Activist and Dr. Lawrence Borom, Educator
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2006 | Bill Bass, Irvin Wheeler, Joy Lynn
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2007 | Paul Stewart, Owetta McNeil
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2008 | Dr. Vincent Harding, Zona Moore
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2010 | Juju Nkrumah, Community Activist; brother jeff Fard, Community Activist; Wallace Yvonne Tollette, Arthur; and Dorothy King Sr., Community Activist
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2011 | Terry Nelson, Librarian; Cleo Parker and Tom Robinson, Dance school Founders; Dr. Sharon Bailey, Educator; and Brother Ansar El Muhammad, Photographer
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2012 | Lenora Alexander, Publisher; Archie Jones Community Activist; Dr. Linda Williams, Director of African American Leadership Institute; and Dr. Anthony Young, Educator
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2013 | Daphne Rice-Allen, Wilma Webb, Hazel Whitsett, and Pricilla Brown
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2014 | Reynelda Muse, Shirley Sims, and Pastor King Harris, and Norman Harris, Sr.
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2015 | Bee Harris, Pastor Robert Wolfolk, H. Malcom Newton, and Marie Greenwood
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2016 | Dorothy King Jr. Stockton, Dr. Abayomi Odadele Meeks, and Gladys Brown Jones Turnbough
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2017 | Ron Springer, Senakhu, Charles Burrell, and James "Dr. Daddio" Walker
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2018 | Archie Jones and Dr. Jennie Rucker,
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2019 | Thom Foster, Sid Wilson, Debra Fard, and Carolyn Jones
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2020 | Madestella C. Holcomb
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2021 | Pastor Ronald Wooding, Alton Clark, Dr. Denise L. Leadon, and donnie l betts
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2022 | Terrance Hughes, Leandra Steed, and Patricia Comeaux
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2023 | Wendy Talley, Mariko Luqman, Kala Green, and Leona M. Abdullah
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2024 | Jo Bunton Keel, Dr. Adrienne Bryant, JaWanna Norris, Rhetta Shead, and Ron Hurley (Posthumous)
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2025 | To be announced on the first night of Kwanzaa at Cleo Parker Robinson Theater
Circle of AncestorS
Circle of Wisdom members who have transitioned to become Ancestors.
Hiawatha Davis, Jr.
Archie Jones
Shirley Sims
Bill Bass
Ansar El Muhammad
Hazel Whitsett
Dr. Sharon Bailey
Norman Harris, Sr.
Dr. Abayomi Odadele Meeks
Opalanga Pugh
Madestella C. Holcomb
Dr. Lawrence Borom
Tom Robinson
Dee Holmes
Perry Ayers
Pastor Ronald Wooding
Baba Adetunji Joda
Thedora Jackson
Owetta McNeil
Joy Lynn
Dr. Jenny Rucker
Wallace Yovonne Tollette
Ken and Gerri Grimes
Ron Hurley
Paul Stewart
Dr. Vincent Harding
Grace Stiles
Tom Foster
Zona Moore