Kwanzaa 2025: Imani / Faith
Habari gani, good folk -- and happy new year! I hope everyone had a great celebration surrounded by people they loved. Or had a cozy night at home doing what you love. Or made the most of where you were when we crossed into this arbitrary, uncharted territory of 2026. We close out Kwanzaa as we begin this new year, focused on the principle of…
Kwanzaa 2025: Nia / Purpose
Habari gani, folk? Day 5 of Kwanzaa is all about Nia, or Purpose -- which is admittedly one of the trickiest principles to talk about because it's so big and so vague. How does anyone truly know their purpose? And how can our individual purposes align with the ones we've set for our communities? These aren't easy questions to answer.
Kwanzaa 2025: Ujima / Collective Work & Responsibility
Habari gani, everyone? When I joined the furry community way back in 1996, it was a vastly different place. The Internet was still kind of new in those days, and most of the spaces were owned by small(er) hosting companies or individuals. Personal-run websites were connected by themed web rings; art was spread out in curated galleries; we talked in real-time on MUCKs (multi-user character kingdoms), IRC (internet relay chat), and first-generation chat programs like ICQ or MSN Messenger.
http://jakebe.com/2025/12/28/kwanzaa-2025-ujima-collective-work-responsibility/
Kwanzaa 2025: Kujichagulia / Self-Determination
When I think about self-determination, I think about Zootopia. I know, I know. I know! But as a furry and a person of color, I was really taken by the metaphor. Here is this immense place designed so anyone can be anything they wanted to be -- while also taking into consideration the realities of their existence. Small creatures are accommodated in ingenious ways.
http://jakebe.com/2025/12/28/kwanzaa-2025-kujichagulia-self-determination/
Kwanzaa 2025: Umoja / Unity
Habari gani, everyone? I've observed Kwanzaa for the past several years and found it to be a truly enriching exercise. Over time I've become more and more focused on the importance of community, and the Seven Principles (or Nguzo Saba) are useful lenses to gain a new perspective with. I don't have a kinara (those stands that hold the seven candles) or construct a display on an altar or anything, but as the year ends I have come to use this as a reflection exercise on what's come before and, you know, get my mind right for the year to come.
Who I Am and Where I’ve Been
Greetings! It's been a minute since I've written here -- long enough that it felt appropriate to give the blog a fresh coat of paint and reintroduce myself. My name is Jakebe T. Lope, and I am a jackalope online. I am also a Black American, part of the wonderful African diaspora, though I'm not as plugged in to the culture as I'd like to be.
Y'all, I'm a former local government person, and I want to talk about the things that I saw that did move the needle. (I was pushed out of government due to fighting racism, but before that, I was able to push meaningful things through.)
In normal times, it's enough to call your senator or representative. However, right now, we aren't in normal times, and it may become necessary to take advantage of the limits of Federal government power.
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Scarlet the Fox
Wholesomememes
Trav / Theresa