The details
After making its Texas debut at the 2024 Bastrop Juneteenth Family Freedom Festival, the 2,400-pound "Harriet Tubman: Journey to Freedom” sculpture will continue on its nationwide tour following the ceremony at 5:30 p.m.—when Lee will offer a few words.
"I'm elated to get a chance to see the Harriet statue before it gets out of my state," Lee told Community Impact. "You know, they call me the Grandmother of Juneteenth, which means freedom, and Harriet is the original champion of freedom. I'm so glad to get to see her."
Lee, who will celebrate her 98th birthday in early October, has dedicated her life to civil rights.
Her granddaughter, Dione Sims, said Lee is the oldest living board member of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, which was started with the goal of pushing for Juneteenth to be declared a federal holiday.
To help with that goal, Lee began a walking campaign at age 90 to garner signatures—ultimately collecting more than 1.5 million.
In 2021, Lee was present when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act—when Biden remarked on Lee's accomplishments.
"Ms. Opal, you’re incredible," Biden said during the signing. "A daughter of Texas. Grandmother of the movement to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. ... We’re blessed to mark the day in the presence of Ms. Opal Lee. As my mother would say, 'God love her.'"
What else?
Lee has received numerous honors and awards, including:
- Eight honorary doctorates
- 2021 Texan of the Year by Dallas Morning News
- 2021 Unsung Hero of the Pandemic
- Fort Worth Inc.’s 2022 Person of the Year
- 2022 Nobel Peace Prize nominee
- 2024 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
- Honorary chair of the National Juneteenth Museum
