Opal Lee led her annual Juneteenth Walk For Freedom at Rogers Square in Fort Worth, which began at 10 a.m. after heavy rain delayed the event by one hour. Lee, often called the Grandmother of Juneteenth, organized symbolic 2.5-mile walks and helped push the 2021 law that made Juneteenth a federal holiday. Her walk arrives alongside renewed cultural attention, including the graphic novel First Freedom, and underscores Juneteenth’s role in remembering America’s delayed emancipation and the ongoing fight for racial justice. Born October 7, 1926, Lee will turn 100 this October, highlighting the decades of grassroots activism behind the holiday.
