The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History & Culture celebrates Juneteenth!
Visit the museum to celebrate and learn “– during the entire month of June – and embrace the rich history of Freedom Day each week”.
Opal Lee – A Changemaker
The excerpted text below and portion of an interview is from the Oprah Daily website (circa.2021). The author Mariah Campbell introduces and interviews African American activist, Opal Lee. who with others played a significant role in having Juneteenth observed as a national holiday.
“Opal Lee has been working to make Juneteenth a national holiday since 2016 when she began the “Opal’s Walk to D.C.” campaign. Lee walked for 2.5 miles in different areas of the country, drumming up support along the way, to symbolize the 2.5 years it took for the Emancipation Proclamation to be enforced in Texas. She delivered to Congress a petition with 1.5 million signatures. The former teacher and community activist has led an eventful life—and we can all learn from it.”
A question from Campbell in her interview of Opal Lee, and Lee’s response (from the Oprah Daily post):
“Mariah Campbell : After last year’s protests surrounding the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, so many people finally recognized and learned about Juneteenth. How does it feel knowing that it took America so long to catch up?
Opal Lee: I am delighted that so many people understand, but it’s a pity that it was because people lost their lives. We’re not going to have things back to normal as they were—it’s going to be a new normal. There are going to be people who will want to join together to fix what’s wrong with our society. It took Quakers and John Brown and Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth and all of those people that worked in concert to get those slaves free. Now we have the pandemic, job disparities, health system needs, climate change—these are the things we ought to be working on together.” READ MORE
An account of Opal Lee and a video of Lee reading her letter to President Donald Trump.
The link below is one of several shared by the author of 28 Days of Black History – Newsletter. she provides a detailed account of Opal Lee – and invites us to learn more …
- “Opal Lee wrote and recorded an open letter to President Trump. Watch it here.“
Happy Juneteenth! One, and all!
