Mattel introduces a new Barbie that honors pioneering activist, Opal Lee
Barbie’s Inspiring Women Series just welcomed one of its most meaningful additions yet: a new doll honoring Opal Lee, widely known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth.” The new release celebrates Lee’s lifelong work advocating for national recognition of Juneteenth — highlighting how persistence, education and community action can help move history forward.
Lee’s story is deeply tied to the significance of June 19. As a child in Fort Worth, Texas, her family’s home was destroyed in a racially motivated attack on June 19, 1939 — an experience that later fueled her commitment to educating others about Juneteenth, which marks the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Texas were finally informed of their freedom, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
Decades later, that commitment turned into action. At age 89, Lee walked from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., covering 2.5 miles per day to symbolize the delay in emancipation reaching Texas. Her advocacy played a key role in Juneteenth being officially recognized as a federal holiday in 2021. In 2024, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contributions to civil rights and social justice…