Meet the Grandmother of Juneteenth, Opal Lee

Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S., serving as a celebration as well as a reminder of the historical and continued injustices facing the Black community. You might already know the historical significance of the day, but do you know about the grandmother of Juneteenth?

Opal Lee at Opal’s Farm in Fort Worth, Texas

Meet Opal Lee. Born in 1926 in Marshall, Texas, Opal grew up in a community that celebrated Juneteenth every year. Passionate that the holiday should be officially recognized on a national scale, she campaigned for decades, including leading a yearly 2.5 mile walk to acknowledge the 2.5 years that passed before news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached Texas. In September of 2016 at the age of 89, Lee decided to walk from her home of Fort Worth, Texas to Washington, D.C. to raise awareness and support for the idea. She made the entire 1,400 mile journey, celebrating her 90th birthday on the road (literally) and arriving in D.C. in January of 2017. 🤯 She also created a Change.org petition that amassed over 1.6 million signatures. Finally in 2021, Former President Biden signed into law a bill that made June 19th a federal holiday. Opal Lee attended the ceremony. ✨

Opal Lee with Former President Joe Biden in 2021 after the signing of the bill

Now, you might be thinking that’s fascinating, but how does it relate to Farm2People and food? Well, not only is Juneteenth about justice, resilience, and freedom, but Opal Lee also operates in the food space. One element of her nonprofit, Unity Unlimited, is Opal’s Farm, a 5 acre urban farm growing organic produce to increase access to nutritious, fresh food. The farm works to address local food deserts by giving food to the nearby food bank and also selling produce at the farmer’s market at a reduced price for SNAP users. 🫛🍓 What an incredible, determined, and influential woman.

“If people have been taught to hate, they can be taught to love.” — Opal Lee