Peace and Justice History – December 26
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Today in Peace and Justice History
| Dec. 26, 1862 |
| Thirty-eight members of the Santee Sioux tribe died, hanged in a public mass execution in Minnesota. Three hundred members of the band were convicted of participating in the Minnesota Uprising (aka the Dakota War of 1862) and ordered to hang. However, President Abraham Lincoln commuted the sentences of all but the 38. Why the execution? For decades white settlers encroached on Santee Sioux territory. Frustrations grew among the Natives on the reservations as corrupt federal Indian agents victimized them over the passing years. |
| In July of 1862, agents and contractors withheld food from the reservation when the Sioux refused their demands for kickbacks. The Indians eventually struck back, killing Anglo settlers and taking some hostages. In two battles with the U.S. Army, they killed or wounded dozens of soldiers, but ultimately lost and were put on trial. |  |
America’s only legal mass execution |
| Dec. 26, 1966 |
| The first Kwanzaa was celebrated in Los Angeles, Calif. It was conceived and organized in the wake of the Watts riots by Dr. Maulana (Ron) Karenga, a professor and chairman of Black Studies at California State University at Long Beach. Kwanzaa is a non-religious African-American holiday focusing on family, community, and culture. |
| The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza,” which means “first fruits” in Swahili. The celebrations are expressed through song, dance, drumming, storytelling, poetry, and the lighting of candles in a Kinara, all followed by a large traditional meal. The holiday is observed for seven days, each representing a different principle: | 
a Kwanzaa Kinara |
| • Umoja (oo-MO-jah) Unity • Kujichagulia (koo-gee-cha-goo-LEE-yah) Self-Determination • Ujima (oo-GEE-mah) Collective Work and Responsibility • Ujamaa (oo-JAH-mah) Cooperative economics • Nia (NEE-yah) Purpose • Kuumba (koo-OOM-bah) Creativity • Imani (ee-MAH-nee) Faith History, Principles, and Symbols of Kwanzaa |
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| Dec. 26, 1971 |
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Two dozen members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War “liberated” the Statue of Liberty with a sit-in to protest resumed U.S. aerial bombings in Vietnam. They flew an inverted U.S. flag from the crown as a signal of distress. |
more on this action  |
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