The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture announced that it will be honoring Juneteenth with a celebration of the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” Opal Lee.
In a statement, the museum announced that its programs will include free daytime programming on June 19th. Each event offered will honor Lee’s history and advocacy. The first program will include a Juneteenth Story Time as well as an interactive workshop inspired by Lee’s favorite dishes.
Other events include an art-making workshop, a line-dancing workshop, and a Go-Go music performance.
Along with celebrations honoring Lee, the National Museum of African American History and Culture will be debuting two new exhibits. Through the exhibits, titled “Revelation: A Journey into Abstraction” and “Reset: Abstraction Embodied in Design,” the museum will focus on the influence abstraction had on different mediums of Black American art. Additional programs, including educational workshops, public talks and performances, will also be offered throughout Juneteenth week.
“Juneteenth is a powerful reminder that freedom is both a historical milestone and an ongoing responsibility,” said Shanita Brackett, NMAAHC’s acting director, per a statement. “At the museum, we honor Juneteenth by creating space for truth, remembrance and dialogue, and by celebrating the history of African Americans, the enduring pursuit of freedom and Ms. Opal Lee’s contributions.”
Born on October 7, 1926, at the age of 12, Lee was present when her family was racially abused by two men who ordered the family to move hours after they arrived at their new home in Fort Worth. The family vacated their new home and, in the early hours of the next morning on June 19, a group of white rioters broke into the house, ransacking it and setting it on fire.
The date of the event spurred her into a life of advocacy. After retiring from teaching in 1977, Lee founded a local food bank called Opal’s Farm. Using land donated by the government, she provided fresh fruits and vegetables to food banks. The workers hired were generally formerly incarcerated people who could not find employment. She has also served on the board for Citizens Concerned with Human Dignity (CCHD), Habitat for Humanity and the Tarrant County Black Historical & Genealogical Society.
Lee is mostly associated with the development of Juneteenth as a national holiday. At the age of 90, she began a walking campaign from Fort Worth, TX to Washington, D.C., averaging about 2.5 miles in each city to draw attention to the importance of Juneteenth. In 2019, she continued her campaign, launching an online petition which garnered more than 1.6 million signatures.
On June 17, 2021, her efforts were realized when then-President Joe Biden signed Senate Bill S.475 into law, making Juneteenth a federal holiday. For her work, Lee was also recognized with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
