Last week our nation observed Juneteenth. It became our most recent national holiday in 2021. By now most people know the basic story behind the holiday. On June 19th, 1865 enslaved people in Texas finally received word that the Civil War was over and they were free. This marked the first time in American history when Black people were free throughout the United States. A lesser known part of the story is the remarkable efforts of Dr. Opal Lee to make Juneteenth a national holiday. Over the course of many years, she led walks of 2.5 miles in Fort Worth, TX representing the 2.5 years it took for the news of the Emancipation Proclamation to reach enslaved people in Texas. In 2016 at the age of 89, she led a symbolic walk from Fort Worth, TX to Washington, DC to bring attention to the cause of making Juneteenth a national holiday. She also helped with an online petition drive that eventually gained over 1.5 million signatures in support of establishing the Juneteenth holiday. In 2024 at the age of 97, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. For these and many other accomplishments, she became known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth.” The first video posted below shows her receiving the Medal of Freedom
Yet the story of Opal Lee includes personal pain related to Juneteenth. At the age of 12 on June 19, 1939, Opal Lee and her family were forced to flee their newly purchased home in a predominantly white neighborhood in Fort Worth. A mob of around 500 white people attacked and burned down the home to keep a Black family from desegregating the neighborhood. This experience caused Opal to emphasize that Juneteenth is not only a celebration of freedom but also a call to recongnize and resist ongoing racial injustice. The tragic story of the attack on Opal’s family home recently added a new and happier chapter. Through the work of Habitat for Humanity and other local groups, Opal Lee moved into a new home on the same lot where her family was driven out 85 years earlier. Dr. Opal Lee embodies the twofold reality of Juneteenth – a celebration of freedom and a call to continue the work of racial justice today. The second video posted below shows Dr. Lee in her new home.