‘Grandmother of Juneteenth’ Opal Lee hospitalized in Ohio

FORT WORTH, Texas – The North Texas woman known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth” was hospitalized over the weekend in Ohio.

Opal Lee Hospitalized

What we know:

According to family members, 98-year-old Opal Lee was hospitalized this past weekend while on a trip to Cincinnati, Ohio, to receive special recognition from the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

Dione Sims said her grandmother experienced a health concern that prompted the hospital stay.

“She did have a medical situation while we were there and so she’s being treated and we are looking forward to her return home so we can make sure we celebrate Juneteenth in style,” she said.

Sims said her grandmother is alert, in very good spirits and expected to be discharged soon.

What we don’t know:

Lee’s family didn’t any details about her health concerns.

Grandmother of Juneteenth

The Tex Factor: The Journey of Opal Lee

Opal Lee is an author, a teacher, a civil rights activist, and she’s known as “The Grandmother of Juneteenth.” The Tex Factor sat down with the 96-year-old Fort Worth resident to learn about her life-long journey helping others. And how, at 89, she started a nationwide movement that would result in Juneteenth becoming a national holiday.

The backstory:

Lee has made it her mission to educate people about the history of June 19, 1865, the day when Texas slaves learned they had been freed two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Her passion was fueled in part by the fact that on June 19, 1939, her family’s home was burned to the ground by an angry white mob. She was just 12 years old at the time.

Later in life, Lee became a teacher and a counselor in Fort Worth. She also worked with the Tarrant County Black Historical Genealogy Society, which put together Juneteenth celebrations in the 70s.

Fast-forward to 2016, the then-90-year-old decided to walk the 1,300 miles from Fort Worth to Washington D.C. to deliver a Juneteenth petition with more than a million signatures to then-President Barack Obama.

Her dream was realized in 2021 when President Joe Biden invited her to the White House to witness the signing of the bill that finally made Juneteenth a federal holiday.

What they’re saying:

Sims said her grandmother’s visit to Ohio underscores the essence of her life. She’s still doing the work, still traveling, and still educating people at 98 years old.

“What’s really neat about that is the fact that she is still sought after. A lot of times, we get our seniors and say, ‘You’ve reached this ripe old age. It’s time for you to sit down and let us young bucks take it over,’” she said.

Opal’s Walk for Freedom

What’s next:

Lee’s annual Walk for Freedom returns to Fort Worth this year after shifting to Dallas in 2024.

Despite the recent health concern, her granddaughter expects she will still attend the event.

“Whether she’s walking with us or not, because this year she’s in a golf cart, so it’s not about her physically walking as much as it’s about us acknowledging Juneteenth. Juneteenth is our newest federal holiday, and it represents freedom, not just for Black Texans, not just for Black people, but it’s a celebration of American history,” Sims said.

For more information, visit opalswalkdallastx.raceroster.com.