John – In 2019 I had the privilege of walking with Opal Lee, the grandmother of the movement for Juneteenth, here in my district in Texas.

 

Ms. Opal came to Galveston Island, the birthplace of Juneteenth, for a walk to raise awareness in the call to make this profoundly significant day a national holiday. She was 92 years old at the time, and she amazed us all when she walked the entire two mile distance!

 

A photo of a crowd of people marching taken in 2019 in Galveston, Texas. In the center of the photo, dressed in white, is Opal Lee, civil rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, considered the Grandmother of Juneteenth

 

A collage of two photos taken in 2019 by Adrienne Bell, Executive Director for Brand New Congress and then a candidate for Congress. On the left, Adrienne is standing next to the historical marker marking the site of where the last enslaved people were informed of their freedom more than 900 days after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. Adrienne is holding a placard that says “Sign Petition & Confirm Email ONLINE OpalsWal2DC.com”, a movement then to advocate for designating Juneteenth as a national holiday. On the right, Adrienne is seated next to Opal Lee, who is seated on a bench dressed in all white.

 

Ms. Opal’s tireless advocacy over the years led to a petition garnering more than 1.5 million signatures in support of an official holiday. She delivered those signatures in person and testified before Congress in 2020.

 

All of her work came to fruition last year when Congress passed legislation to recognize June 19th as a new federal holiday – the first in more than three decades

 

A photo taken in 2021 at the White House showing the signing of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. President Biden is seated at the desk signing the bill into law. To his immediate right (left side of the photo), Vice President Kamala Harris is seen hugging Ms.. Opal Lee as lawmakers and other guests look on

 

While I and many others consider Ms. Opal a true warrior for this movement, she insists she’s “just a little old lady in tennis shoes getting in everybody’s business.”

 

A graphic featuring a photo of Opal Lee, dressed in purple and gold, with the quote: “At 94, to have Juneteenth made a National holiday in my lifetime is unbelievable…I could do a holy dance.

 

Ms. Opal proved that one voice can make a difference. And it means so much to me to have one of the most significant dates in Black history formally recognized and celebrated as a federal holiday. 

 

But Juneteenth is also a reminder that we still have much work to do.

 

Our community is still fighting for justice. We still face discrimination in the workplace and oppression in the legal system. We are still fighting for our unencumbered right to vote. We still face disproportionate violence at the hands of police and we are still targets of white supremacist terrorists.

 

The coordinated campaigns to suppress our history, and our voices, are not new. It’s been 157 years since the announcement was delivered in Galveston on June 19, 1865, proclaiming freedom for the enslaved people of Texas, yet even today absolute freedom has been denied.

 

Juneteenth was always a day of joy and celebration for our community. This year we also celebrate Ms. Opal, who has just been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for her fight for justice.

 

Thank you Ms. Opal, for leading the way with your walks for freedom.

 

Free-ish,

 

Adrienne Bell
Executive Director
Brand New Congress

 

         

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