The walk began with Lee calling to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. Now, the annual event remembers the two-and-a-half years it took to free all slaves.
“July fourth freed the land, but Juneteenth freed the people,” said Opal Lee to thousands of people as they completed the 2.5-mile walk around Fair Park.
For one morning each year, Lee, “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” walks hand in hand with attendees to honor the holiday of Juneteenth. This year, the event began and ended at the African American Museum.
The distance reflects the two-and-a-half years it took for the slaves in Texas to learn of their freedom. Lee began her walk in 2016 when she made a 1,400-mile symbolic trek to the White House.
In 2019, the community joined her in what became Opal’s Walk for Freedom, working to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, a goal that was accomplished in 2021.
Now at 97, Lee continues the tradition, bringing together people of all races, genders and ages.
Lee left the audience with a statement to turn the audience into a “committee of one, to change somebody’s mind.”
“If people have been taught to hate, they can be taught to love,” Lee proclaimed.
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Miss Juneteenth DFW Arianna Beasly walks alongside Opal Lee, known as “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” during Opal’s Walk for Freedom on June 19 at Fair Park in Dallas. President Joe Biden signed a bill to recognize the federal holiday in 2021.
JCPenney members line up with posters before Opal’s Walk for Freedom on June 19 at Fair Park in Dallas. Some groups wore matching shirts to represent their organization.
Thousands of attendees walk 2.5 miles during Opal’s Walk for Freedom on June 19 at Fair Park in Dallas. The distance honors the two-and-a-half years it took for troops to free slaves in Texas.
Opal Lee, “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” rides in a cart during Opal’s Walk for Freedom on June 19 at Fair Park in Dallas. In 2016, Lee began a 1,400-mile walk to the White House in Washington, D.C.
Participants walk alongside one another during Opal’s Walk for Freedom on June 19 at Fair Park in Dallas. Throughout the route, attendees watched live performances on the main stage.
Dancers welcome the crowd back to the African American Museum, Dallas during Opal’s Walk for Freedom on June 19 at Fair Park. The museum is devoted to preservation and displaying African American artistic, cultural and historical materials.
The “Grandmother of Juneteenth” Opal Lee, right, waves to the crowd alongside her granddaughter Dione Sims during Opal’s Walk for Freedom on June 19 at Fair Park in Dallas. The annual walk began in 2019.
Attendees dance after Opal’s Walk for Freedom on June 19 at Fair Park in Dallas. Opal Lee, “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” said “You’re all young people if you’re not 97.”
