Lee, Opal, 1926-

title page: Opal Lee; b. Oct. 7, 1926, in Marshall, TX. Grew up in Fort Worth. Teacher and social activist, called the "Grandmother of Juneteenth", has led a movement to make Juneteenth a national holiday.

Opal Lee; born October 7, 1926; born in Marshall, Texas, is an American retired teacher, counselor, and activist in the movement to make Juneteenth a federally-recognized holiday. She is often described as the "grandmother of Juneteenth" ...

Ms. Opal is an honorary national co-chair of the Juneteenth Legacy Project, and a voice of history with a message for the future. Many consider her the “Grandmother of Juneteenth” but if you ask her who she is, she will tell you she’s “just a little old lady in tennis shoes getting in everybody’s business.”

At 94 years old, Opal Lee is still determined to see Juneteenth made a national holiday through bringing awareness to Congress and the administration that the country needs and wants the unity that celebrating the abolition of slavery can bring. Influenced by being a board member of NJOF with Dr. Ronald Meyers, she too understood the national relevance of celebrating freedom all across America which is bigger than just Texas ...