December 27 marks Day Two of Kwanzaa, and on this day, we light the first red candle to the left of the black candle in our kinara. This candle represents the principle of Kujichagulia, or self-determination.

On this day, we pledge “to define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.”

Members of the Restoration Dance Company perform a traditional African dance during a Kwanzaa festival at the Museum of Natural History in Dec. 2002 in New York City. (Photo: Stephen Chernin/Getty Images)

Earlier this month, computer scientist Dr. Timnit Gebru announced plans to launch her own independent research institute after being fired from Google in December 2020. She had refused to remove her name from a research paper she co-authored claiming to identify ethical risks within the company’s Artificial Intelligence models for processing language.

Dr. Gebru practiced self-determination by standing firm in her morals and creating the change that she would like to see.

This Sept. 2018 photo shows then-Google AI research scientist Dr. Timnit Gebru onstage during Day Three of TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2018 at Moscone Center in San Francisco. (Photo: Kimberly White/Getty Images)

Some ways to practice Kujichagulia include saying no to things that do not suit you or your community, doing something that brings you joy, or deciding to do one thing today that fear has been keeping you from achieving.

How will you be celebrating Kujichagulia today and in the new year?

Habari gani? Kujichagulia!

Happy Kwanzaa!

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The post How to celebrate Kujichagulia on Day 2 of Kwanzaa appeared first on TheGrio.