Opal Lee Explains Why Young People Should Vote

The Oxford Dictionary defines a hero as someone admired for courage, outstanding achievements or noble qualities. Dr. Opal Lee’s life is the epitome of the definition.

Dubbed the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” the 97-year-old activist has dedicated her long and amazing life to fighting for civil rights. Lee, a former school teacher, became active in social justice in the late 1970s by taking on community causes in Forth Worth, Texas.

Before 1980, Lee would help create the Tarrant County Black Historical and Genealogical Society and organize Fort Worth’s annual Juneteenth celebration. In 1994, she created her nonprofit organization, Unity Unlimited Inc., which is still in operation today. The organization was made to provide resources, activities and connections to support the cause of unity and harmony within the communities of Fort Worth, the state of Texas, America and the world.

Vice President Kamala Harris greets US teacher and activist Opal Lee prior to a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 13, 2023. Source: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / Getty

One of Opal Lee’s biggest achievements was her work to bring Juneteenth into the public lexicon. In 2016, at the age of 89, Lee began Opal’s Walk 2 D.C., a symbolic 1,400-mile walk from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., to bring awareness to Juneteenth. While on her walk, she promoted a Change.org petition to make Juneteenth a federal holiday and garnered 1.6 million signatures.

In June 2021, Congress and President Joe Biden passed Lee’s bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. During the bill signing ceremony, Lee was honored as a guest at the White House as the 94-year-old activist finally saw her dream come true.

Opal Lee also has some of the most intriguing stories anyone could hear.

When she was 12, Lee and her siblings were sent away from their home in Fort Worth, Texas, after a white mob of some 500 people terrorized her family, vandalized the home and destroyed their property forcing the family to flee for their own safety.

U.S. President Joe Biden awards the Medal of Freedom to Educator and activist Opal Lee during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on May 3, 2024 in Washington, DC. President Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation’s highest civilian honor, to 19 individuals including political leaders, civil rights icons and other influential cultural icons. Source: Kevin Dietsch / Getty

During the Democratic National Convention, Lee told NewsOne about the time she was forced to pay a poll tax to vote. In her story, Lee recalls having to decide whether to feed her children or vote.

“I didn’t have the $1.75 cents that was needed to pay the poll tax,” Lee said. But I needed that $1.75 cents for my four children. I wanted to vote so badly, so I prayed about it. I voted and paid the poll tax, but my children didn’t go hungry. You know, God’s in the plan.”

Lee also expressed to young people the importance of voting.

“Listen, we don’t have but this one voice that we can depend on and it’s voting,” said Lee. “If we all vote together for what we know is right, hey the Lord upstairs, hears our prayers.”

Check out the full video below: