Hackensack, N.J. ? For Marlene Ware, a teacher at Teaneck High School, Kwanzaa is an opportunity to demystify Africa.

“A lot of African-Americans to this day really don’t acknowledge the role that Africa has in the world,” Ware said.

As organizer of the high school’s annual Kwanzaa celebration, which was earlier this month, Ware uses the holiday to demonstrate the importance of Africa to people of all races.

She understands that Kwanzaa, which began Sunday, can be of particular value to youths. Ware said many young people had distorted impressions of Africa.

“We’re really hoping it does raise self-esteem, particularly of African-Americans about their culture. They really don’t know about Africa,” she said.

Families and educators look to Kwanzaa as a way to educate young people about Africa as well as the struggles blacks have faced in the United States.

“It invites family time and family unity and it gives them another sense of who they are,” said Keli Drew Lockhart-Ba of Trenton, a psychologist who celebrates the holiday with her family and runs a business, Creative Memories, that constructs family scrapbooks for special occasions like Kwanzaa.

Kwanzaa first was observed in 1966. It was created by Maulana Karenga, now the chairman of the black studies department at California State University at Long Beach, as a way for blacks to celebrate their roots in Africa. It is now observed by millions of people worldwide.