    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 51 (Monday, December 27, 1999)]
    [Page 2656]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Message on the Observance of Kwanzaa, 1999

    December 22, 1999

        Warm greetings to everyone celebrating Kwanzaa.
        With roots in the ancient history and cultural traditions of Africa
    and celebrating such fundamental American values as unity and self-
    determination, this joyous annual festival reflects the diversity that
    gives our nation much of its strength and resilience. Each year during
    Kwanzaa, millions of African Americans gather with family and friends to
    celebrate their rich heritage, to reaffirm the bonds of family and
    community, and to give thanks to our Creator for the beauty and bounty
    of life.
        As we look forward to the new millennium, we must not lose sight of
    the values and traditions that have strengthened and sustained us in the
    past. The seven principles of Kwanzaa--unity, self-determination,
    collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose,
    creativity, and faith--can be invaluable tools in teaching us how to
    live together in the 21st century as a community, in harmony with one
    another and our environment and in humility before God.
        Hillary joins me in extending warmest wishes for a joyous Kwanzaa
    and every happiness in the coming year.
                                                      Bill Clinton