Photo by Beatrice Mcbride (bemediaone.com)
Opal Lee during her Walk 2 DC in 2020
It was a dream 94-year-old Fort Worth activist Opal Lee spent much of her life fighting for — the federal recognition of Juneteenth as a national holiday.
On Thursday, Lee saw her dream come true.
President Joe Biden and vice president Kamala Harris have signed the bill officially establishing June 19 as a U.S. federal holiday, after being passed with overwhelming support by the Senate and House earlier this week. The holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston to notify enslaved African Americans that they were free — more than two years after the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. Juneteenth has been a state holiday in Texas since 1979, and until Thursday, was recognized by every state except South Dakota. Starting Friday, federal employees will get the day off in observance of the holiday.
But the legislation carries particular significance locally, mainly thanks to Lee, who's gained national attention for her annual Walk 2 DC event during which she treks 2.5 miles every day from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., in hopes of raising awareness and obtaining signatures for her Juneteenth petition. Last year, Lee got shout-outs from celebrities like Diddy and Lupita Nyong'o, subsequently reaching more than 1.5 million signatures. Earlier this year, Lee received the Hospitality Award from Visit Fort Worth for the way her campaign pushed the city into the national spotlight.
Shortly before Biden and Harris signed the bill, Lee posted the following statement on her social media pages: "Wow! I am beyond excited to see my lifelong dream and mission of making Juneteenth a national holiday become reality. As we wait for the final step of presidential sign-off, I am beyond grateful to all who have helped make this happen.
"After years of preaching the importance of Juneteenth as a unifier for our country, I’m thrilled to see our country finally recognize it as the national holiday that it should be. Thank you to everyone who helped us achieve this incredible milestone in our mission to spread unity, love, and equality. Now, let’s celebrate freedom from the 19th of June to the Fourth of July!"
Lee's Walk 2 DC returns Saturday on Juneteenth itself, when she'll lead a caravan from Evans Avenue Plaza in the Historic Southside to the Tarrant County Courthouse downtown. The public is invited to participate; click here for more information.
