What is the name of the organization founded by Maulana Karenga that promoted Kwanzaa?

The organization founded by Maulana Karenga that promoted Kwanzaa was the US Organization. It was a Black nationalist group established in Los Angeles in 1965 by Karenga and Hakim Jamal; its name was commonly written as “US,” or Organization Us.

Karenga developed Kwanzaa within this wider political and cultural setting. The group promoted African American self-determination, cultural education, and communal values, and it operated projects connected with African heritage and identity. Kwanzaa became one of Karenga’s most enduring cultural initiatives.

The organization’s name is sometimes expanded as “United Slaves,” although “US Organization” or “Organization Us” is the standard answer for a quiz asking which group promoted Kwanzaa. That distinction matters because the group is not the same as the Nation of Islam, the NAACP, or the Black Panther Party, all of which were influential organizations but did not found Kwanzaa.

Kwanzaa was first celebrated in 1966. Its seven principles—collectively called the Nguzo Saba—reflect the communal and cultural ideals Karenga associated with the organization’s program.