FORT WORTH, Texas — Growing up in Texas, Opal Lee celebrated Juneteenth by picnicking and dancing with her family at Sycamore Park in Fort Worth.
When she was 12 years old, a mob of white supremacists set fire to her family’s home and destroyed it. Lee and her family were forced to flee, and no arrests were made.
That event would catapult her into a career as an activist, in which she spent years fighting to have Juneteenth recognized as a federal holiday. She accomplished that goal in 2021, earning the title “Grandmother of Juneteenth.”
