Before Juneteenth became an official federal holiday, 94-year-old Opal Lee was on a mission. 'I'm not just going to sit and rock, you know?' the determined 'Grandmother of Juneteenth' said. 'The Lord is going to have to catch me.'
"I'm not just going to sit and rock, you know?" the determined"Grandmother of Juneteenth" told CNN."The Lord is going to have to catch me." Days later, the spirited nonagenarian shouted with delight as she watched Congress pass a bill to make Juneteenth -- June 19 -- a nationwide holiday commemorating the end of slavery.
" But, it wasn't until adulthood that Lee learned the true significance of the day with the help of a mentor. As an educator for more than twenty-five years, she helped organize citywide Juneteenth festivals that she says boasted thousands in attendance. "It was pure festival. I mean we even took exhibits from the historical society to the park," she shared."We had festivals that garnered 30,000 people in a 3-day period, the papers said 10,000 people a day.
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