Maulana Karenga Biography  -  Sponsored by: The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Favorites Color Black, Green & Red

Dr. Maulana Karenga is professor of Africana Studies at California State University—Long Beach. He holds two Ph.D.'s, one in political science (United States International University) and another in social ethics (University of Southern California), as well as an honorary doctorate from the University of Durban, South Africa.

Karenga's fields of teaching and research within Africana/Black Studies are: ancient Egyptian (Maatian) ethics; ancient Yoruba (Ifa) ethics; Africana/Black Studies theory and history, Africana/Black (continental and diasporan) philosophy; African American intellectual history; ethnic relations and the socio-ethical thought of Malcolm X. He is currently writing a book on Malcolm X and the Critique of Domination: An Ethics of Liberation.

Karenga is also the author of numerous scholarly articles and books -- including, Maat, The Moral Ideal in Ancient Egypt: A Study in Classical African Ethics; Selections From The Husia: Sacred Wisdom of Ancient Egypt; The Book of Coming Forth By Day: The Ethics of the Declarations of Innocence; Odu Ifa: The Ethical Teachings; and Introduction to Black Studies. Karenga is the creator of the pan-African cultural holiday Kwanzaa and the Nguzo Saba (The Seven Principles) and author of the authoritative text titled Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture.

An activist-scholar of national and international recognition, Karenga is one of the most important figures in recent African American history, having played a major role in Black political and intellectual culture since the 1960s. He has, along with his Organization Us, played a major role in such movements as Black Power, Black Arts, Black Studies, the Independent Schools, Afrocentricity, Ancient Egyptian Studies, the Million Person Marches and currently the Reparations Movement. In addition, he has lectured on the life and struggle of African peoples on the major campuses of the USA and in Africa, the People's Republic of China, Cuba, Trinidad, Britain and Canada. Moreover, he is chair of the Organization Us and the National Association of Kawaida Organizations, and executive director of the African American Cultural Center and the Kawaida Institute of Pan-African Studies.

Karenga is the recipient of numerous awards for scholarship and service including the C.L.R. James Award for Outstanding Publication of Scholarly Works that Advance the Discipline of Africana and Black Studies and the National Leadership Award for Outstanding Scholarly Achievements in Black Studies from the National Council for Black Studies; the President's Award for Scholarship and Service in the Development of Black Studies, the African Heritage Studies Association; the Diop Exemplary Leadership Award from the Department of African American Studies-Temple University; the Richard Allen Living Legend Award from the African Methodist Episcopal Church; and the Pioneer Award from the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and Citizenship Education Fund.

Karenga was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on November 18, 2002.

Selected Bibliography
Karenga, Maulana. The Quotable Karenga. University of Sankore Press, 1966.
---. Kwanzaa: Origin, Concept and Practice. University of Sankore Press, 1978.
---. Selections from the Husia: Sacred Wisdom of Ancient Egypt. University of Sankore Press, 1984.
---. The Book of Coming Forth By Day. University of Sankore Press, 1988.
---. Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture. University of Sankore Press, 1998.
---. Odu Ifa: The Ethical Teachings. University of Sankore Press, 1999.
---. Introduction To Black Studies. University of Sankore Press, 3rd Edition 2002.