2025 Mayors’ Masked Ball Honoree Spotlight: Ms. Opal Lee
Exploring the Transcendent Impact of the Civil Rights Champion
Ms. Opal Lee, known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth”, is being honored at the 2025 North Texas Mayors’ Masked Ball for her significant contributions to her community and the nation. Her dedication to education, activism and civil rights has made a lasting impact in North Texas and beyond.
Lee’s roots in North Texas gave her an intimate knowledge of the state’s history and equipped her with the insight needed to advocate for change. Lee, born in Marshall, Texas in 1926, moved to Fort Worth in 1937. Four days after moving into a predominantly white neighborhood, a racist mob of 500 destroyed her family’s home and burned their belongings. Police did little to intervene, and no one was ever arrested for the crime. This event occurred on June 19, 1939—Juneteenth—foreshadowing Lee’s legacy. “The fact that it happened on the 19th day of June has spurred me to make people understand that Juneteenth is not just a festival,” she said in a 2020 interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Before becoming the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” Lee was a dedicated mother, student, and teacher. After high school, she married and had four children. Following her divorce, she returned to school and earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Wiley College (now Wiley University), a charter member institution of UNCF. In 1953, she began teaching at Amanda McCoy Elementary, where she stayed for 15 years and was recognized as one of the best educators. Later, she earned a master’s in counseling from North Texas State University and worked as a counselor for the Fort Worth ISD, where she became aware of her community’s needs through her home visits.
After retiring in 1977, Lee began engaging in community activism, founding and leading Citizens Concerned with Human Dignity (CCHD) and serving on the Historic & Cultural Landmarks Commission and the Community Food Bank. As chairman, she led efforts to acquire a facility that now feeds 500 families daily. In 2019, she opened Opal’s Farm to combat food scarcity in Fort Worth, providing jobs, training, and educational opportunities. Lee has also served on the board of Habitat for Humanity, which recently rebuilt her childhood home.
Though no longer a teacher, Lee continued to educate, focusing on the history of her beloved Fort Worth community. She was closely involved with the Tarrant County Black Historical and Genealogical Society (TCBHGS), founded by her mentor Lenora Rolla to document Black contributions to the city. TCBHGS also organized the annual Juneteenth celebration, once drawing nearly 30,000 attendees. Juneteenth is celebrated in remembrance of the day slavery was abolished in Galveston, Texas in 1865—two and a half years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth is considered the oldest African American holiday. Recognizing its local significance, Lee joined a movement to make Juneteenth a nationally impactful celebration for African Americans.
In 2016, at 89, Lee joined the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF) to promote Juneteenth as a national holiday. She launched a walking campaign from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., but after her team suggested a shorter route, she focused on walking 2.5 miles at Juneteenth events across the country. The distance symbolized the 2.5 years it took for the Emancipation Proclamation to reach Texas. Her efforts culminated in a 2019 petition that gathered over 1.6 million signatures, leading to President Biden declaring Juneteenth a federal holiday on June 17, 2021.
Lee’s lifetime of service and leadership has earned her numerous prestigious honors and continues to inspire her community. She was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and was named 2021 Texan of the Year and 2022 Person of the Year by Fort Worth Inc. She is also the second African American to have her portrait in the Texas State Senate. At 98, Lee remains active in her community, continuing her annual Juneteenth Walk and serving on boards, including the National Juneteenth Museum, opening in 2026. She also serves at her church, Baker Chapel AME, and authored Juneteenth: A Children’s Story.
Lee’s contributions to education, community activism and Juneteenth recognition have left an indelible mark. Honoring her is about understanding the significance of her efforts in shaping North Texas history and inspiring future generations to strive for a more just society.