Juneteenth

On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that slaves were freed. Yet it wasn't until June 19, 1865, now known as Juneteenth, that an order freeing slaves under the Emancipation Proclamation was announced in Galveston, Texas.

Opal Lee, known as the mother of Juneteenth, from Ft Worth, Texas, worked for years to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. In 2016, at the age of 89, she walked 2 ½ miles each day on a journey to symbolize the 2 ½ years between the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation and when that news reached Galveston.

Seven years after her historic walk, Lee’s activism continues to make news. In the past 5 years, she was honored at the White House as President Biden signed the bill designating Juneteenth as an official federal holiday, was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, and became the second Black woman to have her portrait hung in the Texas Senate chamber.

In a recent Texas Monthly profile, Opal emphasized to Texans that we can get more done when we walk as one. "As great as the country is, it could be so much greater if we realized what could be done together." Today we honor the walks of Opal Lee, the many who paved the path before her, and the millions who will follow in their steps.