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Opal Lee to attend this year's Juneteenth walk
The woman known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth is planning to lead her annual walk tomorrow. 99-year-old Opal Lee missed last year's event because of health reasons but expects to be back this year.
FORT WORTH, Texas - The Juneteenth walk in Fort Worth is always a happy occasion, but there will be an additional reason to celebrate this year.
Opal Lee, the woman known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth, should be back to lead the procession.
Opal Lee’s ‘Walk for Freedom’
What we know:
Dione Simms told FOX 4 that her grandmother will ride in a car during Friday’s walk from the Will Rodger Memorial Plaza down West Lancaster Avenue.
Lee, who will turn 100 years old in October, missed last year’s event for health reasons. This year, she should be well enough to attend.
The 2.5-mile walk starts at 9 a.m. and will be streamed live on FOX Local.
What they're saying:
During a news conference on Thursday, Lee shared a message for the younger generation to pick up the torch and carry it forward.
"Young people just know that we need you and we want you to grow up as fast as you can so that you can take the responsibility that is rightfully yours. I'm going to preach in a minute. But there's so much that needs to be done and you young folks can do it. So I'm going to leave it with you. I'm 100 years old. I'm 100 years old. I'm gonna leave it with you," she said.
Juneteenth
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North Texas' plans for 2026 Juneteenth Walk
Tomorrow is Juneteenth and there are several events across North Texas to celebrate! Here's what to know.
Local perspective:
Lee was the driving force behind establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday.
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.
President Joe Biden signed a bill into law in 2021. Lee was invited to the White House for the signing.
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.
Simms said the goal is to have Juneteenth freedom walks in all 50 states by 2030.
The backstory:
Juneteenth commemorates the day when the news finally reached Galveston in 1865 that the Civil War had ended and enslaved people in America were free. That day was June 19.
The Source: FOX 4's Dan Godwin and Dionne Anglin gathered information for this story by interviewing Dione Simms, Opal Lee's granddaughter, and attending a news conference held on Thursday afternoon.