Juneteenth 'Grandmother' Opal Lee Celebrates 100th Birthday with Museum Groundbreaking

Opal Lee, widely known as the "grandmother of Juneteenth," celebrated her 100th birthday by launching construction for a museum in her hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. The National Juneteenth Museum will be dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of Juneteenth, the holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.

"It was important for us to do this on this date because everything we’ve done for the last several years, everything we continue to do, is built around the spirit of the venerable Miss Opal Lee," said Jarred Howard, CEO of the museum. Lee, a founding board member, became a prominent figure after years of advocacy for federal recognition of June 19. Her efforts culminated in 2021 when President Joe Biden signed legislation making Juneteenth a federal holiday, with Lee present at the ceremony.

The holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, with an order proclaiming the freedom of enslaved people in the state, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. The 13th Amendment, ratified six months later, permanently abolished slavery in the U.S.

During the groundbreaking event, Lee expressed her profound joy and gratitude. A crew began demolishing a building to prepare the site for the 50,000-square-foot museum, to be located in a historically Black neighborhood. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced a $3 million donation toward the museum's construction and the establishment of an in-house genealogy center.

"I'm so happy I could do a holy dance, and these old legs won't respond, but let me tell you how thankful I am and that this deed won't go unnoticed," Lee stated following the donation announcement.

Lee has been a significant force in Fort Worth, dedicating decades to her work as a teacher, counselor, and community activist. She has often shared cherished childhood memories of Juneteenth celebrations filled with food, music, and games, and as an adult, she actively participated in planning Fort Worth's annual festivities.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Renee H. Toliver spoke at the event, recalling Lee's dedication long before Juneteenth gained national acclaim. "Long before there were historic walks, cameras, books and well-deserved national acclaim, my childhood memories are filled with you making sure that Fort Worth remembered," Toliver said, adding that Lee reminded attendees that "history is not something you leave behind, it’s something you actively protect."

The future museum site is situated near the home built for Lee a few years ago. This location holds particular significance as it is on the same corner where her family was driven out by a racist mob in 1939, when she was 12 years old. Newspaper accounts from the time detail how hundreds of white individuals attacked her Black family's home shortly after they moved into a predominantly white neighborhood.

Lee's 100th birthday celebration continued into the evening with a conversation featuring former first lady Michelle Obama at the city's convention center, hosted by the museum.