Two Pre-Kwanzaa Events

I have just found out about two pre-Kwanzaa events being held at the Alexandria Black History Museum in Alexandria, VA on Saturday December 10th. For more info, see Black Museums.

Click here for more listings of Kwanzaa and pre-Kwanzaa events.

Click here to read about the tradition of Kwanzaa.

Click here for loads of lovely Christmas and Kwanzaa gifts, including my books as well as free online fun for children and the whole family, books, DVDs and more.

Happy Kwanzaa!

From Pain to Passion in 7 Weeks

Cynthia James, author of What Will Set You Free, promises to move you from pain to passion in seven weeks.

What Will Set You Free contains a series of challenging practical exercises to help you bring about positive change in your life.

To read the review of this book, click here to download the free Black Holiday Gifts Guide.

We have loads of great gift ideas for all the family:

* Books for young children, older children, biographies
* Books about Black history and Black achievers
* Books about Kwanzaa
* Music - CDs, DVDs and mp3 downloads
* Toys, games and activities

As well as articles, ideas for free online family fun, and lots more.

Check it out: click here to download the free Black Holiday Gifts Guide 2010 now.

African American Holiday Shopping

The Black Gifts Guide 2010 is now online. Looking for a brilliant gift for Xmas and Kwanzaa? Click here to download your free copy now.

We have lots of free online fun for your children. There are also free resources they can download, print out and keep.

Print out and color a Kinara.

There's an online Black history quiz.

And lots more free resources for children and parents.

Plus, we have lots of children's gifts you can buy.

And articles about Kwanzaa. This guide will continue to be a resource for you and your family.

New for 2010: we now have book reviews, too!

Click here to order your free copy now.

See also: African American Holiday Gift Shopping.

Do Black Consumers Buy Black? Tomorrow (Saturday)

Ujamaa, or Co-Operative Economics, is one of the principles of Kwanzaa.

This month, as Kwanzaa and the holiday season approach, What U Need to Know asks, Do Black Consumers Buy Black?

Click here to listen or to join us in the chatroom. The show starts at 2 p.m. EST, 7 p.m. UK time:

I hope you will join us.

Plus click here to downlod the free Black Holiday Gifts Guide. With gifts that reflect African American history and culture - books, music and more - plus crafts, activities, and recipes for Kwanzaa and the holiday season

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Thanksgiving is the time when we stop for a moment to remember all the blessings and good fortune we have received. It is an important day to spend with family and loved ones. Although I now live in the UK, I still recall the many Thanksgivings I enjoyed at home, and I bring my family to mind on this day.

I have printed President Obama's Thanksgiving message below. In addition to speaking about the things he and his family are giving thanks for, he also reminds us to remember the troops serving overseas who cannot spend the day with their own families. Whatever you think about the ongoing conflicts in which our countries are involved, spare a thought for the troops who have been sent to fight for our protection.

If you are looking for gifts for Xmas, Kwanzaa and the New Year, check out African American Holiday Shopping

The President's Message

Tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, Americans across the country will sit down together, count our blessings, and give thanks for our families and our loved ones.

American families reflect the diversity of this great nation. No two are exactly alike, but there is a common thread they each share.

Our families are bound together through times of joy and times of grief. They shape us, support us, instill the values that guide us as individuals, and make possible all that we achieve.

So tomorrow, I'll be giving thanks for my family -- for all the wisdom, support, and love they have brought into my life.

But tomorrow is also a day to remember those who cannot sit down to break bread with those they love.

The soldier overseas holding down a lonely post and missing his kids. The sailor who left her home to serve a higher calling. The folks who must spend tomorrow apart from their families to work a second job, so they can keep food on the table or send a child to school.

We are grateful beyond words for the service and hard work of so many Americans who make our country great through their sacrifice. And this year, we know that far too many face a daily struggle that puts the comfort and security we all deserve painfully out of reach.

So when we gather tomorrow, let us also use the occasion to renew our commitment to building a more peaceful and prosperous future that every American family can enjoy.

It seems like a lifetime ago that a crowd met on a frigid February morning in Springfield, Illinois to set out on an improbable course to change our nation.

In the years since, Michelle and I have been blessed with the support and friendship of the millions of Americans who have come together to form this ongoing movement for change.

You have been there through victories and setbacks. You have given of yourselves beyond measure. You have enabled all that we have accomplished -- and you have had the courage to dream yet bigger dreams for what we can still achieve.

So in this season of thanks giving, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to you, and my anticipation of the brighter future we are creating together.

With warmest wishes for a happy holiday season from my family to yours,

President Barack Obama