Twitter Tries To Celebrate Kwanzaa, Uses Wrong Picture
Twitter ran afoul of the social media emoji police on Thursday after its Kwanzaa hashtag was attacked for being inaccurate.
As noted by The Hill, the initial emoji used to mark the first day of Kwanzaa on Thursday had five candles: two red ones on the left, two green ones on the right and a blue one in between.
NEW: Twitter corrects Kwanzaa emoji after complaints from users https://t.co/giYP8UICMc pic.twitter.com/JDtIvqvuIP
— The Hill (@thehill) December 27, 2019
The actual candelabra used to mark the celebration is known as a kinara.
It has three red candles to the left of a black candle in the center. Three green candles are placed on the right.
The candles have significance. They are tied to the seven principles of Kwanzaa, and the colors are designed to be in the order of the Pan-African flag.
Wishing a peaceful & reflective week for all celebrating #Kwanzaa based on seven pan-African principles Umoja (Unity); Kujichagulia (self-determination); Ujima (working together as a community); Ujamaa (community wealth building); Nia (purpose); Kuumba (creativity); Imari (faith) pic.twitter.com/4WxCnR9hQB
— Claudia Webbe MP (@ClaudiaWebbe) December 27, 2019
Following complaints, Twitter updated the emoji.
Twitter said the emoji was “an error” that it quickly repaired, but not before it was taken to task online.
Happy Kwanzaa to all my followers who celebrate throughout the diaspora!
And maybe twitter can run over there and add the right number of candles to #Kwanzaa… I’m sure there is room…
— Sarah Tuttle (@niais) December 26, 2019
@Twitter the #Kwanzaa candles are WRONG. 1-there should be 7: that’s 3 red on one side, 3 green on the other side, and 1 black in the center.
Why is there even a blue candle? Do y’all not have folks do research beforehand?
— Nadroj Holmes (@NadrojHolmes) December 26, 2019
“Do y’all not have folks do research beforehand?” one user asked.
Although Kwanzaa is widely recognized, a blog by Pastor Gabe Hughes notes in a blog post that did not grow out of any African tradition.
“Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga (born Ronald Everett), professor of African studies at California State University, Long Beach. Karenga, a secular humanist, originally meant for Kwanzaa ‘to give a Black alternative to the existing holiday and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society,'” Hughes wrote.
“Remembering and celebrating one’s heritage is not a bad thing, but Swahili is not the heritage of most African-Americans,” he continued.
“To declare Kwanzaa is a celebration of what it means to be an African-American is an insult to black Americans.”
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