The Grandmother of Juneteenth
Fri, Jun 19
|Texas
Ms. Opal Lee (born October 7, 1926) 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". Please Click on the RSVP button to read more.
Time & Location
Jun 19, 2026, 12:10 AM – 11:50 PM
Texas
About the event
On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed Senate Bill S. 475, making Juneteenth the eleventh federal holiday.[3] In 2024, Biden awarded Lee the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation's highest civilian honor.[4][5]
Early life
Ms. Lee was born in Marshall, Texas on October 7, 1926. She was the oldest of three children of Mattie (Broadous) and Otis Flake.[6] Her paternal great-grandmother was born into slavery in Louisiana.[7]
When she was 10 years old, she and her family moved to Fort Worth, Texas.[8] The Flakes later moved to the 7th Ward of Fort Worth, also known as Terrell Heights.[9][10]
In June 1939, her parents bought a house in the 900 block of East Annie Street, then a mostly white area. On June 19, 1939, 500 white rioters vandalized and burned down their home.
Lee was twelve years old at the time.[11] Recalling it years later, she said, "The fact that…