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Fort Worth’s Opal Lee called for unity and courage in a letter to newly sworn-in President Trump on inauguration day.

FORT WORTH, Texas — As Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President Monday on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Fort Worth’s Opal Lee, the Grandmother of Juneteenth, wrote an open letter calling for the new president to show courage and unity.

Lee took on the mantle of Grandmother of Juneteenth for her efforts to turn the day commemorating Black freedom from slavery into a national holiday. Specifically, Juneteenth celebrates the day the news of the Emancipation Proclamation, which was made effective in 1863, made it to Galveston Bay in Texas June 19, 1865. Juneteenth was made a federal holiday by then-President Joe Biden in 2021.

Each year for the holiday, Lee has hosted an annual Walk for Freedom, which was held in Dallas for the first time in June.

She received a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden back in May and has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. 

“Today is your inauguration day, and also the day for honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his stand for unity and hope,” Lee wrote in the letter on inauguration day. “I have spent nearly a century working for human dignity and the simple right to enjoy that freedom of being an American. Lately, I’ve walked for miles in support of that freedom, not just for one, but for all. I’ve found this promise of freedom is only as strong as those who choose to uphold it. The question is: will you rise to the occasion or will you stand still as history passes you by?”

“I’ve learned that courage is the only thing that can turn hope into action. Leadership is more than policy—it’s example. Division is the easy choice. Unity is the courageous one. It takes leaders like you to choose that path, even if it’s hard.” Lee’s letter continued. “You have the power to teach us all what is possible when service replaces spectacle and humanity takes center stage. Let your legacy be one that lifts us, not one that weighs us down. The road to true freedom is long, but I’ve walked it my whole life. Will you walk with me? Name the time and place, and I’ll meet you there.”