Juneteenth

June 19, 2025

Fort Worth is the home of Opal Lee, affectionately known as the "Grandmother of Juneteenth". Each year, Opal has led 2.5-mile walks in major cities — the distance a reminder of the 2.5 years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed the enslaved in the South. Opal's efforts were instrumental in the creation of Juneteenth as a federal holiday, which occurred in 2021. In 2022, plans for the National Juneteenth Museum in Fort Worth were announced.