Opal Lee, the 'Grandmother of Juneteenth,' turns 100 as Fort Worth clears space for new Juneteenth museum
Work begins on $70 million Juneteenth museum
To mark the 100th birthday of Opal Lee, the "Grandmother of Juneteenth," a community ceremony is taking place today in Fort Worth. The event will feature the demolition of the old community center to clear space for a new $70 million Juneteenth museum.
FORT WORTH, Texas - East Fort Worth is celebrating two major events today: Opal Lee’s 100th birthday and the start of site preparation for a new Juneteenth museum.
What we know:
The ceremony, set to begin at 9 a.m. today, will demolish the old community center that now stands at the site to make way for the $70 million Juneteenth Museum.
The facility will be 50,000 square feet and will include galleries, a 250-seat theater, a business incubator, and a food hall featuring local chefs and vendors.
The Juneteenth museum initially expected to break ground in the first quarter of 2023, but its start date was pushed back several times.
Opal Lee has had limited public appearances recently, but her granddaughter, Promise Roland, has previously said the civil rights icon will be in attendance for the demolition event.
The services provided by the community center that is being demolished will be relocated to the Hazel Harvey Peace Center for Neighborhoods in Fort Worth.
To support the community, 40,000 pounds of food will be donated to Fort Worth food pantries.
Also today, as part of the museum's Uniting Voices speaker series, former First Lady Michelle Obama will be appearing at the Fort Worth Convention Center at 6 p.m.
The Grandmother of Juneteenth
The backstory:
Juneteenth celebrates the day when the news finally reached Galveston on June 19, 1865, that the Civil War had ended and enslaved people in America were free.
Lee was a driving force behind establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday.
She led a decades-long national walking campaign, covering 2.5 miles at a time, to generate awareness and support. That effort also included gathering 1.5 million signatures delivered to Congress.
In 2016, she walked from Texas to Washington, D.C., to deliver a petition to then-President Barack Obama with signatures of more than a million people asking for Juneteenth to be recognized nationally.
Rain doesn't stop Opal Lee’s Juneteenth 'Walk for Freedom'
Heavy rain has delayed the start of Opal Lee’s annual Walk for Freedom in Fort Worth to 10 a.m. Friday, but the historic 2.5-mile Juneteenth event is still moving forward alongside nationwide celebrations honoring her civil rights legacy.
Since then, Lee and her supporters have established "Opal Lee’s Walk for Freedom." It started in Fort Worth but now includes walks in cities across the United States, including Honolulu, Los Angeles, and outside Chicago.
What's next:
Lee's granddaughter, Dione Simms, said the goal is to have Juneteenth freedom walks in all 50 states by 2030.
The National Juneteenth Museum will break ground in late 2026 or early 2027.
