I recently posted a note on Facebook asking people’s knowledge and opinion of Kwanzaa. I only got a few responses, which I assume is because I posted between Thanksgiving break and finals. But, anyway, of the few people that did respond and a few that I asked, it’s clear that the large majority of people don’t have a clue what Kwanzaa is. So, what is Kwanzaa?

According to the Official Kwanzaa Website, Kwanzaa is an African-American and Pan-African holiday which celebrates family, community and culture. It’s celebrated December 26-January 1. The name comes from the phrase matunda ya kwanza, which means ‘first fruits’ in Swahili.

Kwanzaa began in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga during the Black Freedom Movement. One reason the holiday was created was to reaffirm and bring back our African culture roots; secondly, it was to act as a repeated communal celebration to reiterate the connection between us as a people. Finally, it was designed to introduce the Nguzo Saba, better known as the Seven Principles, upon which Kwanzaa is based.

These principles, in order, are:

Umoja (Unity) - To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.

Kujichagulia (Self-determination) - To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.

Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) - To build and maintain our community together and make our brother’s and sister’s problems our problems and to solve them together.

Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) - To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.

Nia (Purpose) - To make our combined job the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

Kuumba (Creativity)- To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

Imani (Faith) - To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

For more information about Kwanzaa and how to celebrate, visit: http://www.theofficialkwanzaawebsite.org/.

Art as an Agent for Change is participating in its first Unity Conference on October 3, 2008 at GCSU Center for Graduate and Professional Learning.

The conference will feature workshops on activism and collaboration, and will have poetry concerning activism as well.

As a grassroots organization, A.A.C. wanted to participate in the event like this to inspire other's efforts in activism and help bring new groups into the field.

The workshop will encourage people to be creative in envisioning what they can do on college campuses and will show them what it took to form such an organization on a college campus.
For more information, contact Paul Grigsby at pagrigsby@gmail.com.

The purpose of A.A.C. is to present the plight of the oppressed, engage inequities that divide us, combat social apathy and to inform and educate all who will listen of the realities that shape our lives. A.A.C. establishes alliances with other artists and throught the mediums of poetry, visual arts, music, drama and self-expression.

A Lesson Before Dying


On October 16 at 7 p.m., A.A.C. is holding a poetry performance at Blackbird Cafe in downtown, Milledgeville, GA.

The event is being held in conjuction with The Big Read, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. It gives citizens of a single community the opportunity to choose, read and discuss one book within their communities. Each community event lasts about one month.

This year, GCSU is participating in The Big Read with the book A Lesson Before Dying, and A.A.C.'s performance is based on this book.


According to its website, a 2004 report by the National Endowment for the Arts, found that not only is literary reading in America declining rapidly among all groups, but that the rate of decline has accelerated, especially among the young. As a result, The Big Read "aims to address this crisis squarely and effectively."

For more information about A.A.C's poetry performance, contact Paul Grigsby at pagrigsby@gmail.com.

The purpose of A.A.C. is to present the plight of the oppressed, engage inequities that divide us, combat social apathy and to inform and educate all who will listen of the realities that shape our lives. A.A.C. establishes alliances with other artists and throught the mediums of poetry, visual arts, music, drama and self-expression.

Poetic Notions: Georgia's Intercollegiate Poetry Slam


Poetry and performance came together as Art as An Agent for Change held its first, Poetic Notions: Georgia’s Intercollegiate Poetry Slam, an event meant to bring together poets from colleges all over the state of Georgia. The event covered two nights and featured a youth and collegiate poetry slam. The Youth Poetry Slam was held on April 18, and Shaniece Mason of Milledgeville slammed the competition, winning the $100 prize and A.A.C.’s coveted Youth Poet of the Year award.
















Shaniece Mason (A..A.C. Youth Poet of the Year)

Kiera "Miss Haze" Nelson (A.A.C. Poet of the Year)

Poetic Notions was held on April 19, and Kiera Nelson, a sophomore at Georgia State University, took away the grand prize of $200 with her poem, “Slam School.” Here, A.A.C. talks to Kiera about her big win.

A.A.C.: How did you come up with the idea for your poem?

Kiera: because I’ve been to so many poetry slams, and I heard a lot of the same types [of] poems. I said, ‘it’s kind of like school; in every school you have the same types of people, so I kind of just spun them together.

A.A.C: Had you been in other poetry contests?

Kiera: Yeah, a lot of them. That’s what I do-slam.

A.A.C.: Did you think you would win.

Kiera: No, not really. I didn’t know what to expect because I’d never been to Milledgeville before.

A.A.C.: What was going through your head when you were announced the winner.

Kiera: To be honest I thought, ‘Well I’m going to the mall tomorrow!” [laughs]

A.A.C.: How long have you been writing and performing poetry?

Kiera: I’ve been writing for eight years; I’ve been performing for five.

A.A.C.: Have you won any other contests?

Kiera: Yeah, I won V 103 poetry slam and a lot of other local poetry slams.

A.A.C.: Do you have any advice for aspiring performance poets?

Kiera: Just know your audience and know your competition because once you know what kind of audience you have, you’ll know what kind of poetry [to write]. You kind of write stuff that’s different but that people still like.

Art as Agent for Change plans to keep Poetic Notions in Milledgeville in 2009 and is hoping to make the event larger for the coming year.

A.A.C. Youth Poetry Slam 2008 Award Recipients

A.A.C. Youth Poet of the Year: Shaniece Mason (Baldwin County High School)

Runner up: Danielle Edwards (GCSU’s Early College Program)

Honorable Mention: Raven Hill (Carrera High Achievers Program)

Poetic Notions 2008 Award Recipients

A.A.C. Poet of the Year: Keira Nelson (Georgia State University)

Runner-up: Nadirah Ross (GCSU Alumni)

Honorable Mention: Genae Carter (Georgia Military College, Millegeville Campus)

A.A.C. with Art Tank Proudly Presents "Protest De Las Marionetas"

On March 1, 2008 Art as an Agent for Change with the help of Art Tank held our puppet protest. We paraded our puppet power through the streets of Milledgeville presenting a message that raised eyebrows and got us a lot of attention, "End Apathy!"

(The "Apathy Puppet" chases his box at the GCSU's 2008 Homecoming Parade)

The Puppeteers after the Shutdown

From the left, Taylor Mills on the "Peace Puppet", Paul Grigsby on the "Television set", Hetty White, Bryan Smith, and Elizabeth Vallish on the "Apathy Puppet", Jody Bufkin, Kelly Millsaps, and Sarah Davis on the "Aids Awarness Puppet," and Zachary Elliott on the "Recycle! Puppet"