Ms. Opal Lee went on a mission to make Juneteenth Day a federal holiday. She spent decades organizing walks in cities throughout the United States as part of her mission. She started walking two and a half miles in 2016 at 89 years of age – those miles symbolized the two and a half years it took for word to get out to all slaves, that they were free. Many people joined Ms. Lee as she walked. She started the walk in September 2016 with others and walked 1400 miles from Fort Worth, TX to Washington, DC. They arrived in January 2017. They collected 1.5 million signatures and took them to congress. Finally, the bill was signed into law as a federal holiday by President Joe Biden on June 17, 2021. Ms. Opal was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. Juneteenth is the oldest known nationally celebrated commemoration of ending slavery in the United States which ended with the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, but was not known by Galveston, Texas slaves until June 19, 1865. Juneteenth Day is often known as Emancipation Day, Jubilee Day and Freedom Day Earlier this month, the group that came together to build Ms. Opal a home, presented her with the keys. It was 85 years ago that a racist mob drove her family from that same lot. She was only 12 years old at the time. The mob was angry that a black family moved into the neighborhood. Ms. Opal’s new home was built and furnish in 3 month by a different group to honor her for her perseverance in getting Juneteenth to become a federal holiday. A portrait of Ms. Opal Lee hangs in the Senate Chambers in Texas. Hers is the 2nd African American that is honors there. Ms. Lee’s portrait was painted by Texas artist Jess Coleman. Senator Barbara Jordan, elected in 1966, was the first to have her portrait hung there.
