When I share with people that I grew up celebrating Kwanzaa, they usually tell me I’m the first person they’ve met who observes the holiday. While it’s certainly not as common or mainstream as some of the other winter holidays in the United States, it has existed and thrived since the 1960s.
The creation of Kwanzaa is not without critique, and it has meant many different things for Black Americans. I have always believed that creating space for both celebration and cultural enrichment is what makes Kwanzaa a national Black holiday people return to. For my family, Kwanzaa has always been a moment at the end of the year to make time for moments with family and heritage.
The seven days of Kwanzaa, starting on December 26, are guided by seven principles, each with a Swahili name that reflects the principle for the day:
- Umoja – Unity
- Kujichagulia – Self-Determination
- Ujima – Collective Work and Responsibility
- Ujamaa – Cooperative Economics
- Nia – Purpose
- Kuumba – Creativity
- Imani – Faith
Growing up, these days would often come with an activity or prompt for my sisters and me to complete and reflect on. This could look like cleaning the house for Ujima, making a drawing for Kuumba, or reading about Black history for Kujichagulia. These principles honor the ways that Black families and children can spend intentional time reflecting on the importance of their identity. As a child, I had days that I preferred more than others, but, over time, I grew to understand how these principles work together to strengthen my relationship to my culture and sense of belonging.
On the final day of Kwanzaa, Imani, which falls on the first of January, we would have a feast with my family to celebrate the end of Kwanzaa and the beginning of the new year. The feast could change depending on the year but always included greens for wealth, black eyed peas for luck, and sweet potato pie. These foodways traditions are not just specific to Kwanzaa; many Black Americans enjoy a New Year’s tradition of beans and greens to begin the new year with prosperity.
The history of sweet potato pie goes back to enslaved Indigenous Africans working in white slave owners’ kitchens throughout the American South. While West Africans have always used yams as a staple in their diet, sweet potato was the closest thing many enslaved people had access to that was similar to the sweet, starchy root. As Black people moved throughout the country during the Great Migration, they took sweet potato pie with them and continued to eat it for celebrations. Sweet potato pie has since become an important staple of African American cuisine, and then later at the center of many Kwanzaa tables.
Sweet potato pie has always been my favorite part of the holiday season. Every year my Dad makes a couple of sweet potato pies for the holidays, and growing up Kwanzaa was no exception. The pie is made of sweet potato, evaporated milk, and spices poured into a flaky crust. After the pie chills, it is cut and served. It’s common for people in my family to eat cold slices of pie with their hands right out of the fridge in the days following holiday celebrations. Whether you roll out your own handmade crust or use a premade crust from the store, the flavor of the pie comes from the roasted sweet potatoes and spices. To me, the taste will always remind me of the Kwanzaa feasts I grew up with—and everything I learned from their principles.
Sweet Potato Pie
Makes 2 pies
Ingredients
4 sweet medium potatoes
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 pie crusts
Preparation
Poke holes in sweet potatoes with a fork or sharp knife, wrap in foil, and bake at 400° F for one hour. Potatoes should be soft on the inside. Let the potatoes cool completely.
While potatoes cool, prepare pie crust as desired into two 9-inch pie plates.
Peel cooled sweet potatoes and mash with evaporated milk until smooth. Add butter, sugar, vanilla, and spices and mix in beaten eggs. If using a blender, add all ingredients and blend on low until smooth. Pour mixture evenly into pie crusts.
Bake at 350° until the center is set and crust is golden brown. Let cool completely before slicing and serving. For best results, allow pie to chill in fridge for 2 to 3 hours. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Eat cold out of the fridge the following day.
Lirit Gilmore is the foodways coordinator for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
