Juneteenth: Scottsdale Hosting Free Event With Music, Games

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — The city of Scottsdale is teaming up with community group GenerationBLK to host the free Juneteenth Holiday Celebration on Saturday afternoon.

The event, which will be held at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, features performances by rap artists Woo Nice 500, violinist Jonathan Levingston and more.

Food options will be provided by AZ BBQ Shack, Ridiculous Cookies, Jamba Juice and Phoenix Urban Art Market.

The holiday, which commemorates the abolition of slavery in the United States, is celebrated each year on June 19.

“Juneteenth is very valuable and necessary to our culture and our community. It’s important for us to understand the hurdles we went through as individuals and as a people,” said Shanell Ballard, from GenerationBLK, in a statement. “This day brings solidarity for all of us. It’s also our chance to share our culture and education with the community.”

The event is meant to promote diversity and inclusion in the city of Scottsdale, spotlighting those in the community that advance kindness, empathy, respect and civility, the city said.

“As someone that grew up acknowledging Juneteenth, celebrating the way we should as a community has always been a must,” said Indica Rivers, a Scottsdale resident and one of the founders of GenerationBLK, in a statement. “It is an honor for not only me but everyone on GenerationBLK’s team to be able to bring that vision to life and create new traditions while bringing back the old ones.”

Sharon Cini, diversity and inclusion program manager for the city of Scottsdale, called Saturday's event a festival that's meant to bring together the entire community.

“Together we wanted to take a stand toward developing a more positive environment for ourselves and our families," Cini said in a statement. "We are delighted to be able to put another celebration together again for not only for ourselves, but neighbors.”

For more information on the Scottsdale event, visit GenerationBLK's website.