Yuma County Juneteenth celebration set for Carver Park on June 19

Families, neighbors and civic groups gathered at Carver Park for Yuma County’s Juneteenth celebration, a free evening event built around live entertainment, food and drink vendors and free bike raffles. NAACP Yuma County #1016 hosted the gathering at 385 S. 13th Avenue, turning one of Yuma’s most recognizable neighborhood parks into a public space for remembrance, celebration and local connection.

The celebration ran from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, June 19, and it drew support from a wide mix of local partners: the City of Yuma, the Freedom Library, National Bank of Arizona and the Yuma County Anti Drug Coalition. That sponsor list gave the event a broader civic footprint than a single-organization program, tying together city government, community education, banking and prevention efforts around one shared public observance.

Juneteenth marks the end of slavery in the United States and was designated a federal holiday in 2021, after President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act on June 17, 2021. In Yuma County, the holiday has also become an annual local tradition. KYMA has covered Juneteenth celebrations at Carver Park in 2024 and 2025, showing that the gathering has taken root as a recurring part of the county’s public calendar rather than a one-time event.

That local continuity matters in a place where a single park can serve as both recreation center and community commons. City of Yuma information describes Carver Park as an 18-acre site in the heart of Yuma, with a heated pool, playgrounds, courts, picnic areas and ramadas. Hosting Juneteenth there placed the celebration in a familiar, central setting that families could reach easily and use as a shared meeting ground.

The event also carried a civic message. In 2024, NAACP Yuma Branch member Kwadwo Stevenson said the celebration helps the community learn more about the African community and build better relationships inside the city, adding that the goal is to have a “one-fabric Yuma.” That theme carried into this year’s gathering, where the Yuma County Democratic Party also planned to table to register voters and share information on ballot initiatives and candidates. In Yuma County, Juneteenth at Carver Park became more than a festival. It became a visible reminder of history, belonging and the public spaces that help hold a community together.