Opal Lee, a longtime Fort Worth civil rights leader known as the "Grandmother of Juneteenth," was hospitalized late last month while visiting Ohio to mark the 30th anniversary of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, her family confirmed Sunday.
The Grandmother of Juneteenth is "still unstoppable" despite her hospitalization, according to a weekend news release from local nonprofit Unity Unlimited Inc., run by Lee's granddaughter.
The 98-year-old is now recovering from her hospital stay and looking forward to returning home to Texas, the release said.
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center did not respond to an inquiry seeking additional information Sunday afternoon.
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Lee was scheduled to attend the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center's annual International Freedom Conductor Awards program on May 24. Her granddaughter, Dione Sims, said Lee could not attend due to her hospitalization.
The event also honored Toni Morrison, the late Nobel Prize-winning author; Isabel Wilkerson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author; and Lonnie G. Bunch III, the founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the current secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.
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Lee is known as one of the most vocal advocates for the Juneteenth holiday's national recognition. The holiday commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, marking the day Union troops arrived in Galveston to inform enslaved people they were free.
Born in 1926, in Marshall, Lee is native to Texas, though her family's origin is in Cotton Valley, Louisiana.
Her family moved to Fort Worth when she was 10 years old. Lee holds a bachelor's degree in education and a master's in counseling and guidance. She retired after working as an educator and counselor and is a mother to four children.
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Lee began advocating for federal recognition of Juneteenth when she was 86 years old. In 2016, she drew national attention when the then-89-year-old traveled from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., walking 2.5 miles in several cities along the way -- a more than 1,400-mile route -- as part of the effort.
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Lee often leads the annual walk in Fort Worth, though last year's walk was held in Dallas. The 2.5-mile walk symbolizes the 2.5 years it took for news of the Emancipation Proclamation to reach enslaved people in Galveston.
Before becoming a federal holiday, Juneteenth had been a state holiday in Texas for roughly four decades. It has been long celebrated and recognized by Black communities, including in East Texas, where Lee is from.
It took nearly 10 years before Lee's mission was accomplished, and in 2021, after years of advocacy, former President Joe Biden signed a law making Juneteenth a federal holiday.
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Lee took to her Facebook page on Sunday morning, writing, "Although I am unable to return the many texts and calls I have received over the past few days, please know that each one is appreciated; I am truly grateful for your concern and good wishes."
Even from her hospital bed, Lee's mission continues, the Sunday news release said.
"Juneteenth is about freedom for all of us -- not just Texans, not just Black people, but everybody," said Lee said. "And this year, I especially want to see more young people getting involved on Juneteenth. It's up to the young folks to keep that freedom moving forward."
The annual Opal's Walk for Freedom event is scheduled to take place on Juneteenth in Fort Worth later this month. It will also take place in Los Angeles as well as virtually, so "everyone, everywhere can join the movement," the release said.
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