BROOKLYN (PIX 11) — Thousands of people took to the streets of Brooklyn Thursday for the annual Kwanzaa Crawl, celebrating Black culture with an emphasis on the seven principles of the holiday.
La’Mode BK, one of the lively stops on the festive bar crawl, was packed wall to wall with participants for the seventh annual event. Participant Danica Daniel emphasized the deeper meaning behind the celebration.
“I just think it’s super important when the world is trying to divide us, and we are trying to remind each other that we’re still together,” Daniel said. “That there are people out there that look like us, that love us, and we want to be building community. Building bonds.”
More than 4,000 participants were divided into 46 teams dancing through the streets, traveling from venue to venue — connecting with one another and reflecting on the holiday’s first principle, Umoja, which means unity.
“Anytime we can experience Umoja, unity, on a bigger scale, I’m all for,” said Catrina Toole who participated in the event. “Unity to me means closeness, togetherness, connecting. Even if we have differences we can still connect and see clarity in each other and know that we’re still one.”
The crawl spanned through Flatbush, Crown Heights, Bed-Stuy, Prospect Heights, and Bushwick bars.
Krystal Payne says she co-founded Kwanzaa Crawl in 2016, along with her sister Kerry Coddett, in response to a series of killings of unarmed Black men — turning grief into purpose during a time of racial unrest.
“We wanted to figure out a way to give back to the community, and we realized that Black people need political empowerment and economic empowerment, and so we decided to focus our efforts on economic empowerment, and that’s how we started Kwanzaa Crawl,” Payne said.
According to organizers, the event generates half a million dollars for black-owned businesses around Brooklyn, with participants eager to continue supporting the establishments long after the Kwanzaa crawl ends.
Daniel said this is her third year participating in the festivities.
“Every time I go to one of these bars, I’m like, I need to come back,” she said. “It’s not just about Kwanzaa Crawl. It’s about building community and making sure we know that these bars are here so that we can come back and continue to support these businesses.”
Organizers hope the event inspires participants to embody the principles of Kwanzaa throughout the year, extending those values beyond the celebration.
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