Before dawn breaks on April 25, a Fort Worth family will grip the handle of a miter saw, lower the blade, and slice through a plank of lumber. No ribbon, no giant novelty scissors — just the sharp hum of purpose and the smell of fresh-cut wood. It’s a fitting start for a new home, the first of 100, built not just with tools and timber but in tribute to a living legend: Opal Lee.
Trinity Habitat for Humanity, in partnership with Bank of America, is launching the Opal Lee 100 Legacy Home Initiative — a boots-on-the-ground commitment to building 100 homes for hardworking, essential workforce families across Fort Worth, according to a release. On Friday morning, at 5600 Eisenhower Drive, the Ingram Family will officially become the first to step through the doorway of that vision made real.
“We’re not just building houses — we’re building futures,” said Christine Panagopoulos, chief operating officer at Trinity Habitat. “How fortunate are we to have a world-renowned civil rights leader like Dr. Opal Lee championing the need for more attainable homeownership right here in Fort Worth?”
Indeed, Lee, the indomitable force behind Juneteenth’s recognition as a federal holiday, knows exactly how powerful a home can be — especially when the ground it sits on tells its own story.
Back in June 2024, Lee found herself on the porch of her own new home at 940 East Annie Street — the same plot where her childhood home once stood. The house that, on June 19, 1939, an angry mob set ablaze.
“I remember it was the 19th of June when it happened,” Lee recalled, rocking gently in a white porch chair. “We had only been here for five days and my mom had the house fixed up so nice.”
Now, at 97, Lee not only reclaimed that ground but is also reshaping the future for others through the initiative bearing her name. It's a powerful full-circle moment for a woman who once walked from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., to ensure Juneteenth got the national recognition it deserved — a dream realized when President Joe Biden signed it into law on June 17, 2021.
“Trinity Habitat for Humanity’s Opal Lee 100 Legacy Home Initiative is doing inspiring work to provide housing and hope for hardworking families across Fort Worth,” said Mike Pavell, president of Bank of America Fort Worth. “We’re honored to support this build, which is another demonstration of our commitment to stable housing and strengthening communities.”
