Goodyear receives cultural awareness award

The City of Goodyear's Parks and Recreation department has been honored with the Outstanding Cultural Awareness Program award by the Arizona Parks and Recreation Association.

The award recognizes the department’s efforts in celebrating diversity through its 2023 Juneteenth Family Day event.

Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19 each year, commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States. It marks the day in 1865 when Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced the end of the Civil War and the freedom of enslaved people there. This announcement came over two years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth is a time for reflection, celebration, and education about African American history and culture.

Goodyear's Juneteenth Family Day event debuted in 2022 , celebrated though featured musical and dance performances, educational sessions, and food from local black-owned vendors.

The recent Outstanding Cultural Awareness Program award is Goodyear's eighth  APRA award since 2009. The APRA Award Program includes eleven categories and invites agencies to submit applications each year. 

Winners are selected by a panel of park and recreation professionals and announced at the APRA Annual Conference. The Arizona Parks and Recreation Association represents professionals from local municipalities, state and county parks, private recreation agencies, homeowners’ associations, golf courses, and related businesses.

Visit goodyearaz.gov for more information.