Latest news with #InternationalFreedomConductorAward
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Who is Opal Lee? 'Grandmother of Juneteenth' to skip Walk for Freedom march this year
For the first time since 2016, Opal Lee will remain absent from the Walk for Freedom march this year. The 'Grandmother of Juneteenth' will not be participating in the event due to a recent hospitalization. The 98-year-old has remained a part of the event since it was started in 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. In May, it was reported that Lee was admitted to hospital while she was on her way to receive the International Freedom Conductor Award at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Ohio. Speaking to the Fort Worth Report on June 17, Lee's granddaughter, Dione Sims, said that the retired counselor is now 98 and the family 'really wants to keep her in.' Further, Sims told WFAA that while her grandmother's health prevented her from leading the Walk for Freedom, she was still planning to take part in it. The family has assured that the retired teacher will attend it virtually. Also read: What's open and closed on Juneteenth: Details on stock market, banks, post offices, Costco, Starbucks, Walmart and more Born on October 7, 1926, in Texas' Marshall, Opal Lee is a retired educator and counselor. Her parents relocated their three children to Fort Worth when she was 9. While growing up, she learned about Juneteenth from the annual celebrations in her neighborhood. She finished high school at 16 and later graduated in 1953 with a Bachelor's Degree in Education and a Minor in English from Wiley College in Marshall. She returned to university to get a Master's Degree in Educational Counseling and Guidance. According to the National Women's History Museum, her home was destroyed by a mob of around 500 people in 1939 during one such celebration. She decided most of her life to preserve the history of Juneteenth. She came into the spotlight in 2016, when she kickstarted a 1,400-mile trek from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C. at the age of 89. This was done to recognize Juneteenth as a national holiday. In 2021, then US President Joe Biden officially declared Juneteenth a federal holiday. Last year, Lee was awarded the Medal of Freedom, recognizing her pivotal role in the establishment of Juneteenth as a federal holiday in the US. Juneteenth is being observed on Thursday, June 19, this year. She taught within the Fort Worth Independent School District for a total of 15 years. She is 98 years old.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
‘Grandmother of Juneteenth' Opal Lee Will Not Be in Annual Walk for Freedom After Recent Hospitalization
Opal Lee, also known as "The Grandmother of Juneteenth," will miss marching in this year's Walk of Freedom event The 98-year-old was recently hospitalized, which led to her first time sitting out the march since it launched in 2016 This year marks the 160th anniversary of JuneteenthOpal Lee, known to many as "The Grandmother of Juneteenth," will not participate in this year's Walk for Freedom march due to a recent hospitalization. Since the Fort Worth, Texas, event launched in 2016, Lee has never missed one. However, while traveling to receive the International Freedom Conductor Award at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Ohio in May, she was hospitalized, KDFW reported at the time. 'She's 98 and the family really wants to keep her in,' her granddaughter, Dione Sims, told the Fort Worth Report on Tuesday, June 17. Sims also told WFAA that although Lee's health will prevent her from leading the Walk for Freedom, she still plans to participate. "It is our plan to have Miss Opal in a safe situation as possible, but still able to enjoy the walk that she had the vision for. So, she may be present and she may not," Sims said in a statement to WFAA. "But right now, we're planning on not. But if she is, she'll be in a vehicle." Lee's family added that, if for any reason she cannot be present, the retired teacher will attend virtually. Lee previously expressed gratitude for the support she received after being hospitalized. 'Although I am unable to return the many texts and calls I have received over the past few days, please know that each one is appreciated; I am truly grateful for your concern and good wishes,' Lee wrote in a June 1 Facebook post. Sims, who serves as the president and founder of Unity Unlimited Incorporated, will now lead the 2.5-mile walk in her grandmother's place. The event will begin at 9 a.m. local time at Farrington Field in the Cultural District. Sims is also a member of the National Juneteenth Museum in Fort Worth, which Lee helped develop, per WFAA. 'The ability for us to impact, you know, not just Fort Worth, but the nation, with the story of Emancipation, wherever it happened. I think that's the beauty of the National Juneteenth Museum,' Sims previously told the news station in May. June 19, 1865, marks the day some of the last enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas, were told of their freedom, nearly two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. In 2021, then-President Joe Biden signed bipartisan legislation into law, making the date, known as Juneteenth, a federally recognized holiday. This year will be the 160th anniversary of Juneteenth. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
‘Grandmother of Juneteenth' Opal Lee Will Not Be in Annual Walk for Freedom After Recent Hospitalization
Opal Lee, also known as "The Grandmother of Juneteenth," will miss marching in this year's Walk of Freedom event The 98-year-old was recently hospitalized, which led to her first time sitting out the march since it launched in 2016 This year marks the 160th anniversary of JuneteenthOpal Lee, known to many as "The Grandmother of Juneteenth," will not participate in this year's Walk for Freedom march due to a recent hospitalization. Since the Fort Worth, Texas, event launched in 2016, Lee has never missed one. However, while traveling to receive the International Freedom Conductor Award at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Ohio in May, she was hospitalized, KDFW reported at the time. 'She's 98 and the family really wants to keep her in,' her granddaughter, Dione Sims, told the Fort Worth Report on Tuesday, June 17. Sims also told WFAA that although Lee's health will prevent her from leading the Walk for Freedom, she still plans to participate. "It is our plan to have Miss Opal in a safe situation as possible, but still able to enjoy the walk that she had the vision for. So, she may be present and she may not," Sims said in a statement to WFAA. "But right now, we're planning on not. But if she is, she'll be in a vehicle." Lee's family added that, if for any reason she cannot be present, the retired teacher will attend virtually. Lee previously expressed gratitude for the support she received after being hospitalized. 'Although I am unable to return the many texts and calls I have received over the past few days, please know that each one is appreciated; I am truly grateful for your concern and good wishes,' Lee wrote in a June 1 Facebook post. Sims, who serves as the president and founder of Unity Unlimited Incorporated, will now lead the 2.5-mile walk in her grandmother's place. The event will begin at 9 a.m. local time at Farrington Field in the Cultural District. Sims is also a member of the National Juneteenth Museum in Fort Worth, which Lee helped develop, per WFAA. 'The ability for us to impact, you know, not just Fort Worth, but the nation, with the story of Emancipation, wherever it happened. I think that's the beauty of the National Juneteenth Museum,' Sims previously told the news station in May. June 19, 1865, marks the day some of the last enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas, were told of their freedom, nearly two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. In 2021, then-President Joe Biden signed bipartisan legislation into law, making the date, known as Juneteenth, a federally recognized holiday. This year will be the 160th anniversary of Juneteenth. Read the original article on People
