[Picture: Tony Snow]
In 1999, syndicated columnist (and later White House Press Secretary) Tony Snow wrote that "There is no part of Kwanzaa that is not fraudulent." Other conservative writers have remarked on the Marxist leanings of Karenga and some of the seven principles of Kwanzaa, questioning whether Kwanzaa should be taught in American schools. Furthermore, some Christians see Kwanzaa as an organized attempt to detract from Christmas.
Others have noted that the holiday is in many aspects quite racist and undermines the culture it claims to endorse. Karenga himself is quoted to say, “People think it’s African, but it’s not. I came up with Kwanzaa because black people wouldn’t celebrate it if they knew it was American. Also, I put it around Christmas because I knew that’s when a lot of bloods would be partying.” he has also explaned that his creation of Kwanzaa was motivated in part by hostility toward both Christianity and Judaism.