The atmosphere in the Multicultural Center during Umoja’s Ultimate Game Show was filled with laughter and comradery as two teams went head-to-head to test their knowledge of Black history and culture.
The teams were assembled–christened THE Revolution and The Black Panthers–and seated at tables facing each other, but out of whispering range to encourage team communication in the style of Family Feud.
The first round consisted of a “Guess Who?” style game, where participants had to correctly guess a prominent Black figure from a pool of people by asking yes or no questions.
The second round called “Quizardry” was similar to “Jeopardy!,” where the teams picked from categories and were given trivia to be answered in question format. Although competition was fierce and the lead was exchanged multiple times, in the end THE Revolution squeaked out the win.
“I think it was a great win, great opportunity to engage but more so to educate,” facility employee and contestant Marquis Brignac said.
The event had a sizable turnout both in person and on Zoom. Umoja member Mistoe Smith said she enjoyed the event.
“It was a lot of fun,” Smith said. “Especially the history.”
Umoja means ‘“To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race” in Swahili (also known as Kiswahili), according to an article in CNN.
“Umoja is a support program that primarily focuses on retention and persistence for our Black students on campus, but we have students of all different cultures and welcome everyone to be part of our program,” Umoja Counselor Lateaira Hockaday said.
Hockaday explained how Umoja benefits its students.
“We offer classes that count for your general education, but the focus of the curriculum is on the African diaspora,” Hockaday said. “That is more relatable to students that are part of the program, and then we host different activities in terms of events like today. We also go on trips to historically Black colleges and universities.”
Umoja also offers counseling, mentorship, a laptop loan program, textbook assistance, student success workshops and an International Student Fellowship Program that encourages and assists students interested in study abroad programs, according to their webpage.
Students can visit the Umoja Village at the Multicultural Center in LLC 5113, or get more information online at www.lapc.edu.
