Who is Opal Lee, the ‘Grandmother of Juneteenth’?

Opal Lee, a 94-year-old African-American woman, is known for her decades-long activism around making Juneteenth a national holiday in the United States. She has walked a tough road to achieve her goal, both metaphorically and literally. 

Lee took a sigh of relief on Thursday as US President Joe Biden signed a bill into law, which officially declared Juneteeth, a day to observe the true abolishment of slavery in the country, a federal holiday.

Also Read: Who are the 14 lawmakers who voted against Juneteenth bill in US House?

She carries out her own symbolic pilgrimage every year. It consists of a two-and-a-half-mile walk starting from Menard Park in Galveston, Texas. The distance signifies the gap between Abraham Lincon’s abolishment of slavery in the US and the freedom of slaves in Texas, which happened nearly two-and-a-half years after the first announcement.

Lee herself has been a victim of white supremacy in the United States. She first celebrated the occasion at her Marshall in Texas, which is also her birthplace.

Lee later moved to the city of Fort Worth at the age of 10, where her house was set ablaze by 500 white rioters, reported ABC News.

Also Read: Some unknown facts about Juneteenth

Lee, who was present in Washington DC as Biden signed a bill declaring Juneteenth as a federal holiday, received a “very special recognition from the President of the United States”, said Vice President Kamala Harris. 

Biden went down on his knees before signing the bill to recognise the efforts of Lee and honour her for her contribution in keeping the spark alive for Juneteenth day. She was also the first one to be presented with a pen, which was used to sign the historic bill into law, from Biden.