Opal Lee

At 95 years of age, Ms. Opal Lee has experienced the sorrow of seeing her family home destroyed on June 19, 1939 and the joy of seeing freedom and the abolition of slavery celebrated across the country with the signing of Juneteenth as the 11th federal holiday. Considered by many as the 'Grandmother of Juneteenth, ' Ms. Opal Lee is an educator by vocation, but a social activist by calling. Always eager to help someone in need, her greatest joy is to see children reading and enjoying books which...See more

At 95 years of age, Ms. Opal Lee has experienced the sorrow of seeing her family home destroyed on June 19, 1939 and the joy of seeing freedom and the abolition of slavery celebrated across the country with the signing of Juneteenth as the 11th federal holiday. Considered by many as the 'Grandmother of Juneteenth, ' Ms. Opal Lee is an educator by vocation, but a social activist by calling. Always eager to help someone in need, her greatest joy is to see children reading and enjoying books which inspired her to write her first children's book about a subject she is extremely passionate about - Juneteenth. See less