Opal Lee

Everybody leaves some kind of legacy but Opal Lee is in a whole other league.

When she was 12, her home was burned down by a mob of white supremacists, catalyzing her commitment to activism.

She spent over 40 years trying to get Juneteenth recognized as a federal holiday, walking 2.5 miles to symbolize the 2.5 years people remained enslaved because they were unaware of their freedom.

In 2016, that became a 1400 mile march to DC. She was 89.

She stayed busy at the community level. In 2019 she launched a farm to combat food inequity in Texas.

Then at 94, her push for Juneteenth recognition came true.

I’m pretty sure that during that 40 year effort, there were many times when it felt like it simply wouldn’t ever happen. Few will have Opal Lee’s experience of seeing a vision held throughout life becoming realized at such a late stage. But few have her level of commitment.