Today we honor Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility).
The understanding that our lives are interconnected and that the challenges facing one of us ultimately touch us all.
Ujima reminds us that community is not a passive idea; it is an active commitment. It calls us to recognize problems as shared concerns and solutions as shared responsibilities. This principle asks us to move beyond individual success and toward collective care.
Ujima shows up when we check on our neighbors.
When we mentor the next generation.
When we volunteer our time, share our resources, and lend our voices to causes bigger than ourselves.
It also asks hard questions:
- How do we respond when our community is hurting?
- Do we step in or step back?
- How do we teach responsibility not as burden, but as love in action?
Collective work does not mean everyone does the same thing. It means everyone does something. Each contribution matters. Each effort counts. When we show up together across age, ability, background, and belief, we create networks of care that sustain us long after the celebration ends.
As we light the third candle, may we recommit to being accountable to one another.
May we recognize that healing, growth, and justice are collective journeys.
May we remember that community thrives when responsibility is shared.
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Happy Ujima.
🖤❤️💚