"Chain Gang" - Sam Cooke

Good morning peeps!! Hope you are having a blessed Kwanzaa! We are already on the third day of  Kwanzaa, and today's principle is UJIMA! Ujima is the principle of Collective Work and Responsibility. My penchant for attaching a popular (or obscure) song to my theme was a bit more difficult today than usual, because I couldn't really think of just the right song to personify Ujima! What is collective work and responsibility? I think it means pitching in to help one another complete a project together; or helping a friend move; having a paint party to get the job completed faster; bringing a dish to a "pot luck" dinner so the hostess won't have to do all the preparations. etc. Although the song Chain Gang is about a depressing situation, I can envision the men helping one another, in order to make each one's task a little less daunting. The song also evokes images of my ancestors working in cotton or tobacco fields, beneath a hot sun; under an overseer's watchful eyes! UJIMA! Working together in a positively helpful manner. Have you Ujima'd today?

Play List for Ujima

1. Chain Gang - Sam Cooke

2. The Work Song - Oscar Brown Junior

3. That's What Friends Are For - Dionne Warwick and Friends

4. Working In The Coal Mine - Lee Dorsey

5. With A Little Help From My Friend - The Beatles 

6. Lean On Me - Bill Withers

7. He Aint Heavy, He's My Brother - The Hollies

8. You've Got A Friend - James Taylor

9. Let's Work Together - Canned Heat

10. I Can Help - Billy Swann

11. I'll Be There - J5

12. Work To Do - Isley Brothers

13. Higher Ground - Stevie Wonder

14. Come Together - The Beatles

15. We Are The World - USA for Africa