The holiday of Kwanzaa was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966, during the period of US history in which African Americans were involved in struggles for their civil rights. This was the period of Martin Luther King, the Civil Rights movement, and Black Power.

Dr. Karenga wanted to create a holiday that would bring African Americans together in celebration of their black culture. He was inspired by the “first fruit” or harvest festivals that were celebrated throughout Africa.

In fact the name he gave to the holiday, “Kwanzaa,” comes from the Kiswahili phrase for “first fruit” – matunda ya kwanza. (Kiswahili, or Swahili, is the largest spoken language on the African continent and thus the language of Kwanzaa). When Dr. Karenga chose the word “kwanza” for the name of his festival he added the extra “a” at the end to give the word greater significance. (Source)