12/29/2025
Happy Kwanzaa.
Today’s principle is Ujamaa mpractice of Cooperative Economics.
Over generations, our communities have faced repeated economic disruption. From the Wilmington coup, Tulsa massacre, Rodney King uprising, 9/11, and most recently the 2020 COVID pandemic, we have seen how quickly systems shift—and how deeply cost of living can rise while resources shrink. Small businesses downsized, some expanded, many closed altogether.
Now, five years past 2020, we are still here. Still standing. Still striving—often by necessity, not by choice.
But thriving cannot be accidental.
Ujamaa calls us to define ourselves, name ourselves, and speak for ourselves. That means taking ownership of our economic future. It means showing up—for our children’s education, for our neighborhoods, and for the systems we want to see endure. Our future depends on the effort we put in today as responsible leaders and community builders.
If we want economic understanding and inclusion, it must start with us.
As this year closes and a new one begins, make it your business to teach our young people—and even those who feel “set in their ways”—how to grow their financial knowledge and become responsible, informed stewards of money.
Let’s release the mindset that “getting to the bag” means no rest. Proper sleep is essential for the mind and body to function. Burnout is not success.
Let’s also move away from relying on one single source of income. Learn how AI can support productivity. Learn how crypto and stocks fluctuate—when to minimize risk and when to maximize opportunity. Invest. Grow. Multiply.
Saving alone is not enough. A fear-based mindset limits our ability to thrive.
Scared money doesn’t make money.
Life itself is a risk—we take chances every day just by showing up.
Cooperative economics begins with mindset and intentional action.
Let’s return to buying land, owning property, farming, building businesses, and circulating our dollars within our communities. Let’s do this together, with purpose, clarity, and commitment.
That is Ujamaa in action.
That is how we build a future worth inheriting.
✨ Happy Kwanzaa. ✨
