Ujima | Kwanzaa 2025

Kwanzaa Day 3 of 7 | #Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): In 2025 we became sports parents, as our daughter played on her season-winning school volleyball team, and went on to play Club volleyball as well. When I think about collective work & responsibility, the idea of parents working together to manage the responsibilities and logistics of raising a kid comes to mind.

We take our marriage and our parenting seriously. And when it comes to managing schedules and activities, or nurturing her academic growth and personal character, we’ve learned that collaboration is key. Ujima calls us to solve problems collectively, and in our home, that means leaning on each other’s strengths and working as a team. It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it.

When I extend these principles outside my home (the little Village), it takes the form of mentoring youth in the Community (the big Village) through my service org (see Day 1 post). I stand side-by-side with others who believe in civic responsibility and shared cooperation.

I've got a feeling we'll continue to need that collective work ethic in 2026.