The Holmes Cultural Diversity Center at Mississippi State University demonstrated unity in students during its Umoja event on Tuesday.
Founded in 1979, HCDC was originally known as the Office of Minority Affairs. In 1991, it was renamed the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center in dedication to Richard E. Holmes, the first African-American alumnus of MSU. 
Ra’Sheda Forbes, assistant director of HCDC, said its mission is to create a home away from home for students, presenting an atmosphere where students feel comfortable and providing them with a support system.
“We strive to make sure that all of our freshmen and transfer students are adjusting to college life well,” Forbes said. “We don’t only want them to succeed academically. We want them to develop relationships that will give them comfort and allow them to grow as people.” 
Forbes said HCDC expands unity among students through their Peers Assisting With Students (P.A.W.S.) program, in which transfer students and freshmen can be paired by discipline with other students.
“This is a way to help students integrate socially and become a part of the campus environment,” Forbes said. “They host programs such as Umoja, to develop relationships which are critical to retention.”
Forbes said the Umoja program strived to fulfill the goal of HCDC by allowing various student organizations to perform and different organizational booths to present information.
“The term Umoja is Swahili for ‘unity,’ which coincides directly with the general purpose of HCDC,” Forbes said. “This means bringing different students together so that they will feel comfortable and can discover things they would like to do or be a part of.”
Simone Carson, former P.A.W.S. president, said Umoja consisted of performances by the MSU Fashion Board, Models of Distinction, Sigma Lambda Beta, Delta Sigma Theta, Alpha Phi Alpha, Terpsichore, Starlight Dancers and Omega Psi Phi.
“What makes this program significant is the fact that we are showcasing minority campus organizations and minority students,” Carson said. “The program featured a scavenger hunt that basically allowed students to go to different booths and find answers to a questionnaire that asked about each organization. This was our way of bringing various students and organizations together.”
Carson said Umoja was a success, with high participation from around 250 people and presented booths set up by Active Minds, Black Student Alliance, Society of Hispanic Engineers, Blitz! Show Choir, African Student Association, Men of Excellence and I.D.E.A.L. Woman.
“HCDC is always searching for different ways to incorporate unity,” Carson said. “Hopefully in the future other ways to unite campus can be established that can further help bring campus together.”
Cedric Gathings, director of HCDC, said its connections with the Department of Housing and Residence Life, Parking Services, The Office of Student Financial Aid and Student Counseling Services ensures their reliability when students need assistance.
“We can help students when they don’t know the right questions or who to reach out to for help,” Gathings said. “HCDC works hard to bring students together and is a great place for students to spend their time studying, hanging out or receiving help.”