Opal Lee, grandmother of Juneteenth, has busy weekend as we approach national holiday
FORT WORTH, Texas - The woman known as the "Grandmother of Juneteenth" is planning her yearly walk to mark the federal holiday she spent decades fighting for.
It will be a busy weekend of Ms. Opal Lee, with a long list of events that include national TV appearances.
All of that is leading up to Monday's Freedom Walk in Fort Worth.
With her granddaughter by her side during an interview Friday, Lee shared insight as to her background, what keeps her going and motivated for her annual walks and to never give up fighting for a national Juneteenth holiday.
"The president signed it into law and I was there, and it was one of the happiest days of my life," she said.
Biden signs bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas — two months after the Confederacy had surrendered.
Just as quickly as the interview ended, Lee was whisked away for an event in downtown Fort Worth.
It was the re-dedication of the city’s Martin Luther King Jr. Heritage Trail marker, and Lee was a guest of honor.
Her granddaughter said Lee takes all the attention in stride. She said that her energy is amazingly high most of the time.
"She's keeping up, she’s keeping up. I'm trying to get her to get some rest in between," Dione Sims said.
A network television crew was awaiting Lee at her home. They set up for a live talk-back between Lee and an anchor in New York.
She returned home with just a short time to prepare for the interview.
She regards it all exciting.
Her granddaughter said Lee is serious about the events, but also her need for rest at the end of each day.
"Once the suit comes off, she crashes, but she rests and that’s her thing to make sure she gets that down time," she said. "She feeds off the energy, that’s all the time!"