Opal Lee, the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” is set to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Biden on May 3, 2024.
Lee will be joined by 18 others at the White House to receive the medal. The Presidential Medal of Freedom stands as the highest civilian distinction of the nation, awarded to those who have demonstrated outstanding contributions to the well-being, values, or safeguarding of the United States, global peace, or noteworthy societal, public, or private initiatives.
“These nineteen Americans built teams, coalitions, movements, organizations, and businesses that shaped America for the better,” White House officials said. “They are the pinnacle of leadership in their fields. They consistently demonstrated over their careers the power of community, hard work and service.”
Lee has dedicated her life to seeing Juneteenth be recognized as a federal holiday.
In 2016, the 89-year-old embarked on a remarkable journey from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C. to advocate for the designation. Covering a distance of 1,400 miles, the trek comprised a series of 2.5-mile marches symbolizing the two-and-a-half years it took for the news of emancipation to reach the final enslaved individuals in Galveston.
On June 18, 2021, President Joe Biden, with Lee and granddaughter, Dione Sims in hand, proclaimed Juneteenth as the eleventh national day of observance.
Lee has been unwavering in her activism. Every Juneteenth since, she spearheads a 2.5-mile "Walk of Freedom" through Fort Worth's historic Southside neighborhood. The Opal, a 399-unit apartment complex, recently opened to offer affordable housing to Fort Worth residents.
Lee is also involved in the development of a $70 million National Juneteenth Museum slated to open in Fort Worth by 2026.
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