Opal Lee, left, applauds during a ceremony before aising the first wall to her new home on her family’s former lot in Fort Worth, Texas on Thursday, March 21, 2024.
Opal Lee, a 97-year-old community activist affectionately dubbed the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” is on the cusp of realizing a deeply personal dream.
After enduring racial violence that forced her family out of their Texas home 85 years ago, Lee is now witnessing the construction of a brand new house on the very same lot in Fort Worth.
“I’m not a person who sheds tears often, but I’ve got a few for this project,” said Lee.
A wall-raising ceremony held on Thursday, March 21, marked a significant milestone in the project, with Lee and others lifting the framework for the first wall into place.
The house is slated to be move-in ready by June 19, coinciding with the Juneteenth holiday that holds profound significance for Lee and commemorates the end of slavery in the US.
The significance of this date is not lost on Lee. It marks the 85th anniversary of the tragic event when a racist mob descended upon her family’s home, enraged by the presence of a Black family in the neighborhood. The mob vandalized the property, driving Lee’s family away and leaving painful scars.