Onnadaydonna

Motowns First White Female Act Dies at Age 54 Teena Marie, the "Ivory Queen of Soul" who developed a lasting legacy with her silky soul pipes and with hits like "Lovergirl," ''Square Biz," and "Fire and Desire" with mentor Rick James, has died. She was 54. The singer continued performing in recent years after overcoming an addiction to prescription drugs. It was unclear late Sunday where and how she died. Marie certainly wasn't the first white act to sing soul music, but she was arguably among the most gifted and respected, and was thoroughly embraced by the black audience. Even before she started her musical career, she had a strong bond with the black community, which she credited to her godmother. She gravitated to soul music and in her youth decided to make it her career. Marie made her debut on the legendary Motown label back in 1979, becoming one of the very few white acts to break the race barrier of the groundbreaking black-owned r

Origins Kwanzaa, a relatively new observance in December, dates back just 34 years. The holiday's primary purpose is to link African traditions and American customs. Each candle represents a principle the holiday honors. Founded by Dr. Mualena Karenga, then chairman of black studies at California State University in Long Beach, Kwanzaa focuses on seven core principles, expressed in Swahili as Nguzo Saba (nn-Goo-zoh SAH-bah). Each principle is linked with one of the seven days of the celebration, which runs from December 26 through January 1 each year. Listed in order of observance, the principles are: Umoja (oo-MOH-JAH) -- Unity Kujichagulia (koo-ji-chah-goo-LEE-ah) -- Self-determination Ujima (oo-JEE-mah) -- Collective work and responsibility Ujamma (oo-jah-MAH) -- Cooperative economics Nia (NEE-ah) -- Purpose Kuumba (koo-OO-mbah) -- Creativity Imani (ee-MAH-nee) -- Faith The holiday's daily ritual begins with the lighting of one of the seven candles placed in the cand