![]() ![]() Opal the opportunities to educate the world about Juneteenth and the freedoms that were gained,” stated Sims, founder of Unity Unlimited, Inc. Civil rights leader Opal Lee, 94, realized a longtime dream in 2020 and collected 1.5 million signatures on a petition to create a national holiday for. So much that the 94-year-old is known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth. “Establishing the federal holiday has created a vacuum for accurate information about Juneteenth, and we are honored that CAA is putting their resources to work to provide Ms. Terrell High School in 1943 at the age of 16. She attended Cooper Street Elementary School and graduated from Historic I.M. Her mother moved to Fort Worth when she was ten years old. Opal, she gained national attention in 2016, when at 89, she began a 1,400-mile trek from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., to petition for the recognition of Juneteenth as a national holiday. In addition to CAA, the social impact leader, author and activist will continue to be represented by manager Dione Sims and publicist D’Aria Hookfin of Hooked On Ent, LLC. Opal Lee Juneteenthftw 'none of us are free until we're all free' - Opal Lee Her Story Opal Lee was born Octoin Marshall, Texas. A retired educator and counselor, Opal Lee has dedicated much of her life to preserving the history of Juneteenth. In 2016, civil rights leader Opal Lee, then. Opal Lee looks on as Juneteenth is signed into law becoming a national holiday. Since then, Lee has been nominated for a 2022 Nobel Peace Prize. Meet Opal Lee, the 94-year-old activist who marched for miles to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. In honor and acknowledgment of her lifelong service, Lee stood alongside President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House as the president signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act Bill, officially recognizing the date as a federal holiday. On June 17, 2021, she accomplished her mission. Opal Lee on the 2021 50 Over 50 - Impact - Lee is best known as the grandmother of Juneteenth, the day that commemorates the real emancipation of U.S. “I’m going to keep walking, and keep on talking, until Juneteenth is a national holiday,” Lee added. In addition to the walking campaign, she also launched a petition to grant the occasion an official national holiday, and in September 2020, delivered 1.5 million signatures from supporters, including Jennifer Lopez and Lupita Nyong’o, to Congress. “I just remember thinking, ‘Gee, I’m 89 years old and I think that there’s lots more that needs to be done,’” Lee told Variety in an interview last year, looking back on the first time she laced up her sneakers to march.Įach year since, Lee makes a two-and-a-half-mile pilgrimage on June 19 to commemorate the momentous day.
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