December 31: Kuumba
- Ruby N Lewis
- Dec 31, 2025
- 2 min read
Day 6 (Dec 31): Kuumba — Creativity
“Doing always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.”
Creativity is not decoration.
Creativity is not luxury.
Creativity is survival, resistance, healing, and vision.
For our ancestors, creativity meant turning pain into purpose.
It meant music when language was stolen, art when resources were denied, storytelling when history was erased, and innovation when systems were designed to exclude us.
Kuumba asks us a bold question:
What are you creating that makes life better for those who come after you?
On this day, we are reminded that creativity is not about talent alone—it is about intention. It is about using whatever gifts we have to build something that didn’t exist before. Something that heals. Something that uplifts. Something that lasts.
Creativity is the act of saying:
“We deserve beauty.”
“We deserve opportunity.”
“We deserve to imagine beyond survival.”
When we create, we reclaim our power to shape our future.
How PDDBM Practices Kuumba
At Please Don’t Die Black Men (PDDBM), creativity is not an extracurricular activity—it is a lifeline.
We practice Kuumba by creating spaces where Black and Brown youth are encouraged to imagine boldly, create freely, and build confidently.
Through our afterschool programs in:
Fashion Design
Filmmaking & Cinematography
Journalism & Media
Modeling & Acting
Entrepreneurship
students don’t just learn skills—they create real work with real impact.
They design clothing that tells their stories.
They produce films that reflect their realities.
They write articles that give voice to their truth.
They build brands, portfolios, and confidence.
We don’t ask students to fit into broken systems.
We help them create new ones.
Kuumba lives in every runway show, every short film, every magazine issue, every youth-designed product, and every moment a student realizes:
“What I create has value.”
That is how we leave our community more beautiful and more beneficial than we found it.
How to Spend Day 6: Living Kuumba
Today is not about perfection.
It’s about expression.
Here are meaningful ways to honor Kuumba today:
Create something with your hands, your voice, or your vision
Support Black artists, designers, writers, and creators
Encourage a child or young person to create without fear
Share your story through art, writing, music, or film
Donate, volunteer, or invest in creative youth programs
Reflect on how your creativity can serve your community
Ask yourself:
How can what I create help someone else thrive?
Call to Action
Creativity thrives when it is supported.
If you believe in a future where youth are empowered to create instead of conform…
If you believe art, storytelling, and innovation can change lives…
If you believe our community deserves spaces where imagination is protected and celebrated…
Stand with PDDBM.
Support our programs.
Share our mission.
Invest in our youth.
Create with purpose.
Because when we honor Kuumba, we don’t just make things—we build legacies.
✨🖤
Comments