MAULANA KARENGA
Dr. Maulana Karenga is professor of Africana Studies at California State
University—Long Beach. He holds two Ph.D.'s, one in political science (United
States International University) and another in social ethics (University of
Southern California), as well as an honorary doctorate from the University of
Durban, South Africa.
Karenga's fields of teaching and research within Africana/Black Studies are:
ancient Egyptian (Maatian) ethics; ancient Yoruba (Ifa) ethics; Africana/Black
Studies theory and history, Africana/Black (continental and diasporan)
philosophy; African American intellectual history; ethnic relations and the
socio-ethical thought of Malcolm X. He is currently writing a book on Malcolm X
and the Critique of Domination: An Ethics of Liberation.
Karenga is also the author of numerous scholarly articles and books -- including,
Maat, The Moral Ideal in Ancient Egypt: A Study in Classical African Ethics;
Selections From The Husia: Sacred Wisdom of Ancient Egypt; The Book of Coming
Forth By Day: The Ethics of the Declarations of Innocence; Odu Ifa: The Ethical
Teachings; and Introduction to Black Studies. Karenga is the creator of the pan-African
cultural holiday Kwanzaa and the Nguzo Saba (The Seven Principles) and author of
the authoritative text titled Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and
Culture.
An activist-scholar of national and international recognition, Karenga is one of
the most important figures in recent African American history, having played a
major role in Black political and intellectual culture since the 1960s. He has,
along with his Organization Us, played a major role in such movements as Black
Power, Black Arts, Black Studies, the Independent Schools, Afrocentricity,
Ancient Egyptian Studies, the Million Person Marches and currently the
Reparations Movement. In addition, he has lectured on the life and struggle of
African peoples on the major campuses of the USA and in Africa, the People's
Republic of China, Cuba, Trinidad, Britain and Canada. Moreover, he is chair of
the Organization Us and the National Association of Kawaida Organizations, and
executive director of the African American Cultural Center and the Kawaida
Institute of Pan-African Studies.
Karenga is the recipient of numerous awards for scholarship and service
including the C.L.R. James Award for Outstanding Publication of Scholarly Works
that Advance the Discipline of Africana and Black Studies and the National
Leadership Award for Outstanding Scholarly Achievements in Black Studies from
the National Council for Black Studies; the President's Award for Scholarship
and Service in the Development of Black Studies, the African Heritage Studies
Association; the Diop Exemplary Leadership Award from the Department of African
American Studies-Temple University; the Richard Allen Living Legend Award from
the African Methodist Episcopal Church; and the Pioneer Award from the Rainbow
PUSH Coalition and Citizenship Education Fund.
Dr. Maulana Karenga is professor of Africana Studies at California State
University—Long Beach. He holds two Ph.D.'s, one in political science (United
States International University) and another in social ethics (University of
Southern California), as well as an honorary doctorate from the University of
Durban, South Africa.
Karenga's fields of teaching and research within Africana/Black Studies are:
ancient Egyptian (Maatian) ethics; ancient Yoruba (Ifa) ethics; Africana/Black
Studies theory and history, Africana/Black (continental and diasporan)
philosophy; African American intellectual history; ethnic relations and the
socio-ethical thought of Malcolm X. He is currently writing a book on Malcolm X
and the Critique of Domination: An Ethics of Liberation.
Karenga is also the author of numerous scholarly articles and books -- including,
Maat, The Moral Ideal in Ancient Egypt: A Study in Classical African Ethics;
Selections From The Husia: Sacred Wisdom of Ancient Egypt; The Book of Coming
Forth By Day: The Ethics of the Declarations of Innocence; Odu Ifa: The Ethical
Teachings; and Introduction to Black Studies. Karenga is the creator of the pan-African
cultural holiday Kwanzaa and the Nguzo Saba (The Seven Principles) and author of
the authoritative text titled Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and
Culture.
An activist-scholar of national and international recognition, Karenga is one of
the most important figures in recent African American history, having played a
major role in Black political and intellectual culture since the 1960s. He has,
along with his Organization Us, played a major role in such movements as Black
Power, Black Arts, Black Studies, the Independent Schools, Afrocentricity,
Ancient Egyptian Studies, the Million Person Marches and currently the
Reparations Movement. In addition, he has lectured on the life and struggle of
African peoples on the major campuses of the USA and in Africa, the People's
Republic of China, Cuba, Trinidad, Britain and Canada. Moreover, he is chair of
the Organization Us and the National Association of Kawaida Organizations, and
executive director of the African American Cultural Center and the Kawaida
Institute of Pan-African Studies.
Karenga is the recipient of numerous awards for scholarship and service
including the C.L.R. James Award for Outstanding Publication of Scholarly Works
that Advance the Discipline of Africana and Black Studies and the National
Leadership Award for Outstanding Scholarly Achievements in Black Studies from
the National Council for Black Studies; the President's Award for Scholarship
and Service in the Development of Black Studies, the African Heritage Studies
Association; the Diop Exemplary Leadership Award from the Department of African
American Studies-Temple University; the Richard Allen Living Legend Award from
the African Methodist Episcopal Church; and the Pioneer Award from the Rainbow
PUSH Coalition and Citizenship Education Fund.