Check out photos from the Office of Empowerment’s Juneteenth celebration

Two women smile and clap as they dance in line next to each other.

Employees at the Office of Empowerment KyLee Carter and Tanya McClain participate in the dance event. All photos by Karina Hartley.

Karina Hartley
June 18, 2026

By Karina Hartley
Staff Reporter

With Juneteenth approaching this week, the Office of Empowerment at LCC hosted a celebration showcasing Black culture and liberation. Students and employees came in throughout the afternoon to enjoy soul food, learn hustle line-dancing, play games that a popular within the Black community, and appreciate Black film and literature.

A man smiles as he scoops macaroni and cheese from a tray to serve.

Collard greens, fried chicken, baked macaroni and cheese, and yams are served at the Office of Empowerment, ordered from the Tasty Spoon food truck.

A 3x4 grid of posters featuring quotes from and photos of Black leaders throughout history such as Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Langston Hughes, Desmond Tutu and Aretha Franklin.

Posters at the event featured quotes and values of prominent Black figures throughout history.

A flower vase with red, black and green flowers and the Pan-African flag, which sports the same colors, as well as blocks reading “hope, faith, courage” and stickers sit on a table in front of the soda and juice refreshments.

Decorations and refreshments filled the tables of the event. Decorations feature the colors of the Pan-African flag, a flag representing the unity of people of African descent around the world.

A group of five people smile for a photo while sitting at their table. LCC students and employees enjoy their meal, games and company at the event.

Four students seated at a table play a colorful block board game.

A group of LCC students and employees enjoy a game of Blokus.

A man with a mustache and striped shirt smiles and he sits behind a booth that reads “pop-up library” and featured selections from Black authors such as Ralph Ellison and Malcolm X.

A pop-up library of books from LCC’s library centered on Black culture, history and liberation.

A low to the ground shot featuring people’s legs and feet as they line one in front of the other to practice the dance.

Participants gathered to learn the Tamia Shuffle, a line dance choreographed to the song “Can’t Get Enough” by Tamia.

A small group is shown, each with one legged crossed over the other as they learn new steps to a dance.

Participants learn to dance together.

A small group is standing in a grid with their heads turned in the same direction as they follow the dance tutorial video off-screen.

The group turns their attention to the screen to follow the YouTube tutorial for the Tamia Shuffle.

Two women smile and clap as they dance in line next to each other.

Employees at the Office of Empowerment KyLee Carter and Tanya McClain participate in the dance event.

A woman with glasses and dark hair in two buns poses in front of a rainbow flag and shares the message on her shirt which reads “Protect weird Black girls. Protect trans Black girls. Protect hood Black girls. Protect nerdy Black girls. Protect fat Black girls. Protect darkskin Black girls. Protect all Black girls.”

KyLee Carter poses in front of an inclusion Pride flag and shows off her shirt promoting the protection of all Black girls.

A wide shot of the room, decorations hang from the walls and ceiling as a movie plays and people sit working and watching at a table.

The event closes out with a showing of the film “Drumline.”

Check out photos from the Office of Empowerment’s Juneteenth celebration

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