MARSHALL, Texas — Editor's note: This feature first appeared in the Marshall News Messenger in March 2023.
Marshall native, national gem and Fort Worth treasure Opal Lee is affectionately revered as “The Grandmother of Juneteenth.”
“I’m everybody’s grandma, and you know you listen to your grandma,” Lee teased. “And when she told you things that were true and things that happened, you listened.”
PHOTOS: Opal Lee helped make Juneteenth a federal holiday
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Born and reared in Marshall, the 1952 Wiley College alumna led the charge in championing efforts to make Juneteenth nationally recognized as a federal holiday. Her dream became reality in June 2021 as President Joe Biden signed the long anticipated bill into law, with Lee standing right by his side.
Read more from the Tyler Morning Telegraph here.