The Three Rivers Jenbé Ensemble is organized on three operational principles:

1. • Family as the fundamental unit of a healthy community
   

2. • Age, experience and example as prerequisites for leadership
   

3. • Individuals in the same age-grade are best qualified to teach one another
   

From these, seven principled values govern our relationships. They are the values of the Nguzo Saba, the seven principles that guide the Afrikan American harvest celebration of Kwanzaa:

1. • Umoja — unity
   

2. • Kujichagulia — self-determination
   

3. • Ujima — collective work and responsibility
   

4. • Ujamaa — cooperative economics
   

5. • Nia — purpose
   

6. • Kuumba — creativity
   

7. • Imani — faith
   

TRJE’s members were asked to write about one of the principles and its influence on them.

Diarra, 9 — Umoja means unity. I use Umoja when I play board games with my family. I also use unity when I’m playing with my friends. I always will use Umoja so I can do stuff together. Umoja is the main thing I use everyday, 24 hours.

Lucinda, 9 — I chose Umoja because when my brother, my sister and I all go to school we build our relationships with the community and we help each other by learning together. Everyday we do this to help build our community.

Tre’Shell, 10 — the seventh principle of the Nguzo Saba, Imani, is just like me because I always have faith in my family. My grandma never gives up even though she is blind.

Malik, 15 — Kujichagulia stands for pushing yourself and others to better yourselves. It means striving to do what’s right no matter what. The principle reflects me and family, because even though we are chronic procrastinators we push ourselves and each other to get done what needs to be done.

Nathaniel, 7 — Umoja equals unity. Umoja means being close together with my family and friends, it makes us happy.

Shanqell, 13 — Kuumba equals creativity. Kuumba just describes me and my life because nobody knows what’s gonna happen till the next day when it happens. That’s why my family is creative. I use creativity everyday and it always works for me.

RasAmen, 13 — Kuumba equals creativity. In my life I do a lot of creative things.  Creativity means having inspiration in your life to go on. Being able to look past your troubles and worries and seeing yourself better off. I think you have to have an imagination beyond the walls of solitude and the invisible prison that schools set up to stop from rising to your fullest potential. Kuumba means you can see beyond the world’s boundaries and limits. Being able to have that artistic eye that can help others make a big commotion over the littlest thing, and help you emotionally, physically and eternally. Kuumba is constantly involved in my life.

Bruce, 15 — Kuumba is fanciful. Kuumba is resourceful. Kuumba is inventive. Kuumba is ingenious. Kuumba is imaginative. Kuumba is original. Kuumba is powerful. Kuumba is the ability to create. Kuumba is the quality of being creative. Kuumba is a way of making everyone on this earth stronger and more helpful to everyone else. Kuumba is a way of making families better. Kuumba is something that everyone has. I use Kuumba every single day.

The TRJE is an excellent example of Kuumba. Through our drumming, dancing and teaching, we are being creative and we are helping others be more creative.

Sharae, 13 — Nia mean purpose and purpose means a reason for doing things. I think my purpose for being in the group is to help kids with their problems and/or if they need a friend to talk to. I think my purpose in life is just to be myself and having fun while doing it. And for my family, I think it is to respect each other with love.

Emily, 10 — Nia means purpose. Purpose helps me because if I have a purpose for something I usually get it done. It affects me and my family enough. Here is an example: If I have a purpose for something my family and friends will probably be involved or help me get it done. That’s what Nia means to me.

Monica, 11 — Kuumba means creativity and how I use it is I always do help make stuff creative, and I think Kuumba means to help the world be creative like what we do when we (TRJE) do when we perform for people.

Anisah, 12 — I use the principle Imani, faith, everyday. When I took the I-Step test in school, I was saying, “Anisah, you can do this.” I believe in myself. It also affects my family; like my dad has his own business and he did that by having faith in himself.

Christian, 11 — Ujima is collective work and responsibility. I picked that because when I, my brothers, sister, mom or dad have a problem we talk about and speak our minds about what’s going on. And we solve it.

Cory, 13 — the way Imani affects me is any time I have work I have faith I can do it. It affects others by the way they see that I can do it. It effects my family when they see and know that I can do something when I put my mind to it.

Sirena, 10 — Umoja means to love and care for my family and friends, no matter where they live, who they are, or how far away they are. On Guam, my dad said everybody is somehow related, and if they weren’t, they’d still get along and be friends. I cherish every moment I have with my family and friends, because one minute they could be there, and the next they won’t. It could happen to anyone. I think everyone needs someone to lean on or love, because if you don’t you could have a mental disorder because you’re all depressed inside and you have no one to talk to.