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

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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