Opal Lee’s talk is free and open to the public.
Opal Lee has much in common with Girl Scouts in Lake Highlands.
The civil rights pioneer known as “The Grandmother of Juneteenth” is overflowing with “can-do” attitude and enthusiastic positivity. She first made national headlines in 2016 when, at the age of 89, she walked more than 1,400 miles from her home in Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., to convince lawmakers to recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday. Five years, many miles and 1.6 million petition signatures later, President Joe Biden invited her to the White House to watch the bill signing ceremony and gave her one of the pens used to sign the document.
Lake Highlands Area Girl Scouts have invited Lee to speak to neighbors in Lake Highlands as part of their 3 C’s Speaker Event, and she fits the C’s to a T. Their Women of Courage, Confidence and Character series is designed to introduce strong female role models, and Ms. Lee is sure to inspire the girls with her life story.
Lee was born in Marshall, Texas, and raised in Fort Worth, the great-granddaughter of an enslaved woman in Louisiana. Her childhood home was burned down by white rioters on Juneteenth in 1939, and she has since understood that “Juneteenth is not just a festival.”
Lee went on to earn a college degree and become an elementary school teacher in Marshall. She got a master’s in counseling and worked for the Fort Worth ISD before becoming a home school counselor. She retired in 1976 and threw herself fulltime into community activism.
Ms. Lee will speak Sunday, Feb. 4 at 4:30 p.m. at Lake Highlands Presbyterian Church, 8525 Audelia. The event is free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted.
