Graduates, family and friends gathered at the LAC L Quad on May 17 to celebrate the accomplishments of Black graduates and honor Black/African American culture.
This year’s Black Graduation Celebration was held outside for the first time due to an increase number of graduates.
“So we’ve grown tremendously in terms of the number of students that are earning their degrees and certificates so we had the shift from being inside to outside this year. So this year we were supposed to be in T1200 but we outgrew the space,” said Jerome Hunt, one of the organizers of the event.
The Divas and Drummers of Compton, who are majorette dancers and drummers, made their way to the front of the ceremony, pumping up the crowd with cadences and energetic dancing.
The Divas of Compton, from left to right, AhniYah Berry, Savannah Petit, Taylor McKinney, Jurney Bennett. dancing at The Black Grad Celebration right before the walking ceremony. The Divas of Compton are known for their majorette style of dancing and were Finalists on America’s Got Talent in 2020. (Paloma Maciel) 
Graduate Kyshia Hearns, left, and Brianna Pinkerton, Admin Assistant for Academic Success, Inclusion, and Student Support Services, right, perform a cultural practice called a libation during The Black Grad Celebration. The Black Grad Celebration is a graduation cultural event that celebrated graduates and Black African American culture. (Paloma Maciel) 
Candace Jones, Vice President of Administrative and Business Services at LBCC, stands and claps enthusiastically during the performance of The Divas and Drummers of Compton at The Black Grad Celebration. The Black Grad Celebration is a graduation cultural event that celebrated graduates and Black African American culture. (Paloma Maciel)
Soon after, graduate Aniya Lewis sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which is considered the “Black National Anthem.”
A cultural practice called a libation followed, and a graduate poured water into an orchid plant while reciting the names of people who have passed away.
Some of the names mentioned during the libation portion included Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and George Floyd.
Organizer of the event, Jerome Hunt, explained the meaning of this practice.
“It’s an African tradition where you honor your ancestors by pouring water into a flower or a plant, it’s a way to symbolize the connection with the Earth and it’s a way of honoring those who we’ve lost,” Hunt said.
Many graduates gave speeches throughout the ceremony and there were appearances from people such as Superintendent-President Mike Munoz and Ennette Morton, vice president of LBCC’s Board of Trustees.
The crowd celebrated Morton for being one of two current Board of Trustees members who are of Black heritage, given that there are five Board of Trustees members in total.
After the speeches, the Divas and Drummers of Compton performed once more, with the Divas executing high line kicks, backflips, and backbends.
The celebration ended with the graduates walking across the stage and receiving a sash.
While a graduate was walking the stage, a proud “Mommy” was uttered by the graduate’s five year old daughter who was sitting in the crowd.
One graduate in attendance, Polight McClain, shared what the Black Graduation Celebration meant to her.
“To me it means that we continue to keep pushing and we continue to succeed no matter how many setbacks that we have in life. We know all the things that we’re told, all the things that we’ve heard growing up, all the things that we have seen throughout these last years and even long before. So seeing all this actual excellence and wanting to actually contribute to society that means like a whole lot to me,” McClain said.
McClain is going to graduate in June with an Associate of Psychology, Sociology and Communications.
Another graduate, William Johnson, attended the celebration for having completed his certificate in Business Marketing.
Johnson shared the highlight of his educational journey so far at LBCC, given that he will be returning to LBCC in the fall to work towards his Associate of Business Marketing and a certificate in Public Health.
“The highlight for me is building relationships. So I’ve had the opportunity to work with a lot of different programs on the campus such as like Umoja, I’ve also have done a lot with the Black Success Center, the reentry program. Just really building those relationships in those communities where you can be impactful in the space that you’re in and then also having people in those different spaces pour into you to continue to be great and succeed,” Johnson said.
Johnson is a community organizer and hopes to create a nonprofit organization in the near future that will create housing support with wraparound services for former foster youth students and student parents in community colleges.