By Sarah Bahari
Staff writer
Lee was named the 2021 “Texan of the Year” by The Dallas Morning News. In 2024, she was awarded the
Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden.[(Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)
Opal Lee did not vote for President Donald Trump, but the 98-year-old civil rights icon says she is ready to work with him.
In an open letter published Monday, Lee noted her successful fight to have Juneteenth recognized as a national holiday. She urged Trump to unite rather than divide the country he now leads.
“I have spent nearly a century working for human dignity and the simple right to enjoy the freedom of being an American,” wrote Lee, who lives in Fort Worth.
“Lately, I’ve walked for miles in support of that freedom, not just for one, but for all.
“I’ve found that this promise of freedom is only as strong as those who choose to uphold it. The question is: will you rise to the occasion or will you stand still as history passes you by?”
In an interview this month with The Dallas Morning News, Lee said she was disappointed by the election results and hopes former Vice President Kamala Harris runs again in four years.
Lee was a vocal supporter of Harris, joining her on the campaign trail and attending the Democratic National Convention last year in Chicago.
“Of course, I was let down because she didn’t win,” Lee said. “I went to her and said, ‘You’ve got to be ready in four years to do this all over again.’ She has to win next time. She can’t give it up.”
Lee said she remains hopeful she will see a woman president in her lifetime.
“It’s about time,” she said.
Known as the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” Lee soared to national prominence in recent years. In 2016, Lee made her way from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., walking 2½ miles in several cities along the way to represent the 2½ years it took for news of the Emancipation Proclamation to reach Galveston.
In 2021, then-President Joe Biden, with Lee at his side, signed into law a bill declaring Juneteenth a national holiday.
Lee said her work is far from over and the nation faces enormous challenges, including poverty, homelessness and inequitable education.
In her letter to Trump, she said she hopes he will provide an example for the nation.
“Division is the easy choice. Unity is the courageous one. It takes leaders like you to choose that path, even if it’s hard,” Lee wrote.
“You have the power to teach us all what is possible when service replaces spectacle and humanity takes center stage. Let your legacy be one that lifts us, not one that weighs us down.
“The road to true freedom is long, but I’ve walked it my whole life,“ she wrote. ”Will you walk with me? Name the time and place, and I’ll meet you there.”
This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.
