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14 flagships · 25 briefs · 8 dossiers · 1,441 entities — record updated October 4, 2026

Kwanzaa

CTL-E-1286 · Practice · other · 1966–2026

PROVISIONAL evidence grade of this record

Seven-day celebration (Dec 26-Jan 1) of African heritage created 1966 by Maulana Karenga; observed in Chicago with candle-lighting, drumming, dance, and the Karamu Ya Imani feast — reportedly developed in Chicago in 1971.

Notes

Merged into canonical KG 2026-10-03 from LIFE-001; source entity IDs: CTL-DR-LIFE-001:CTL-LIFE-E-020; source research type(s): practice.

Sources

Record CTL-E-1286 · CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph · evidence grade: PROVISIONAL · 3 sources · CTL research: LIFE-001.
Directory: all entity records · the knowledge graph

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Cite as: CultureTechLens, “Kwanzaa (CTL-E-1286),” CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph, October 2026. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-1286/

Chicago: CultureTechLens. “Kwanzaa (CTL-E-1286).” CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph. Chicago, IL: CultureTechLens, 2026. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-1286/
APA: CultureTechLens. (2026). Kwanzaa (CTL-E-1286) [Entity record]. CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-1286/
MLA: CultureTechLens. “Kwanzaa (CTL-E-1286).” CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph, 2026, https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-1286/

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From the Archive

The archive in pictures

The people, places, and institutions this work documents. Photographs from the CultureTechLens research record — rights-cleared, credited, and cited like everything else here.

The Overton Hygienic Building, 3619–6227 S. State St., Chicago — Anthony Overton’s Black Metropolis business headquarters
The Overton Hygienic Building, 3619–6227 S. State St., Chicago — Anthony Overton’s Black Metropolis business headquartersPhoto: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Chess Records studio booth during restoration, Chicago
The Chess Records studio booth during restoration, ChicagoPhoto: get directly down, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Ida B. Wells — portrait from ‘Women of Distinction’ (1893)
Ida B. Wells — portrait from ‘Women of Distinction’ (1893)Photo: Public Domain (from ‘Women of Distinction,’ 1893), via Wikimedia Commons

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