Independent Newsmedia/Delarita Ford Youth steppers perform at a 2025 Juneteenth event at The Archwood Exchange in Phoenix. Posted Friday, June 12, 2026 11:32 am By Delarita Ford Mail | X: @AzNewsmedia On the cusp of the country’s 250th anniversary, Juneteenth celebrations are occurring this month throughout the Valley to recognize a part of American history when enslaved people received their freedom more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was finalized on Jan. 1, 1863.