Culture Week inaugurated its annual celebration of diversity last week. A collaborative project of 18 cultural organizations, the event consisted of one fair, two days of lectures and the inclusion of Pledge Diversity and the Aztec Unification Project.

“Cultural Week gives us confidence that not only does everyone have a voice on the San Diego State campus, but also that students of all different background and cultures can come together and share positive, affirming experiences,” a member of Project Nur said. “We are a club dedicated to pluralism and understanding, especially across culture and faith.”

The five-day event was organized by Associated Students’ Multi-Cultural Caucus. The MCC’s mission is to celebrate, educate and advocate for diversity, culture and inclusion. It is reminiscent of Pledge Diversity, a movement started by A.S. Representative and future Vice President Channelle McNutt.

The lectures were divided into two days. Tuesday focused on history lectures while Wednesday addressed social injustices. The Pledge Diversity event was held on Thursday.

According to the SDSU Diversity Pledge, diversity is more than being aware of differences of all people, but embracing them as well as actively creating a campus that supports and understands the diversity of its students.

The Diversity Pledge encourages its participants to embrace diversity, strive toward social justice, refrain from using derogatory terms, not contribute to stereotypes, educate themselves about cultures other than their own, engage in and contribute to the diverse world and actively honor the pledge itself.

The Aztec Unification Project is a joint community service project, according to the SDSU student newsletter. It consists of three different student organizations collaborating to volunteer for a nonprofit organization in San Diego. Last semester, the Afrikan Student Union, the Hispanic Business Student Association and Sigma Phi Epsilon delivered food to homeless students and their families at the Monarch School in downtown San Diego that served approximately 80 people.

The organizations involved in Culture Week included several religious and culture-based groups, such as the Association of Chicana Activists, Aztecs for Israel, Asian Pacific Student Alliance, Arab Student Association, Afrikan Student Union, Cross-Cultural Center, Jewish Student Union and the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Student Union.

Other groups included were the Lebanese Social Club, Muslim Student Association, Nikkei Student Union, Project Nur, Students for Justice in Palestine, Student Veteran Organization, Vietnamese Student Association, Womyn’s Outreach Association and Andres Bonifacio Samahan.

“Culture week was great,” AB Samahan Political Affairs Coordinator Ignacio Lauder said. “It was a lot of fun getting to know all the other cultural organizations that participated and I hope more and more will continue to do so in later years.”