"We will continue walking and talking and showing others how important conversations like Juneteenth are to history and change." - Opal Lee
Ms. Opal Lee is an activist who has been community conscious and action oriented for decades. She is affectionately known as the 'Grandmother of Juneteenth' for her work done to have Juneteenth recognized as a national holiday, which gained national attention when she decided to march 1,400 miles from her home in Texas to the nation's capitol. She was dedicated to making the nation acknowledge the significance of Juneteenth and in 2021 her hard work paid off.
Reconciliation and a Full Circle Moment
In 2023, Trinity Habitat for Humanity partnered with Citizens Concerned with Human Dignity to give Ms. Lee her land back and build a new home for her. The home will be completed in 2024. When Mrs. Lee was a child, her family was forced to leave their home in Fort Worth on June 19, 1939 a few days after moving in because racist members of the community destroyed the property and attempted to intimidate her family.
Bringing Light and Truth to Classrooms
At a time when the truth of U.S. history is being legislated out of classroom, Ms. Lee has written a book for young readers, Juneteenth: A Children’s Story. She also spends time with young people reading the story in classrooms around the nation.
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