Grandmother of Juneteenth visits TCU

TCU Welcomes Opal Lee During Halftime

Opal Lee is a voice of history with a message for the future.

On the 22nd of February Texas Christian University welcomed Civil Rights Activist Opal Lee to center court during half time of a TCU women’s basketball game. A month before Lee was presented an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Texas Christian University for her work as an educator and civil rights activist. In honor of Black History Month, Lee was honored by the players throughout the basketball game. Short video clips were broadcasted of each player talking about how they personally were impacted by Lee’s accomplishments.

Lee, a Fort Worth resident, dedicated her time to serve in public education and help find housing for economically disadvantaged families. All while on a 45-year journey to establish Juneteenth as a national holiday. When Syler-Jones asked Lee “Why it was so important to establish Juneteenth as a national holiday”, Lee responded by saying “none of us are free until all of us are free”.

Opal Lee is known to many as the grandmother of Juneteenth, a national holiday for the day enforcement of enslaved Black People’s freedom in America reached the shores of Galveston, Texas. Juneteenth will be celebrated on Saturday, June 18th this year at the Omaha Freedom Festival (www.omahafreedomfestival.com) in collaboration with the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation (www.malcolmxfoundation.org). This event’s goal is to spread awareness for the people around us in the metro and world-wide. By bringing the community together we can unite as one for the positive change of our futures and generations to come!

Keywords: Juneteenth, Opal Lee, Omaha Freedom Festival