The granddaughter of Fort Worth's Opal Lee, who was by her side on the journey to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, is running for Congress.
The granddaughter of Fort Worth 's Opal Lee, who was by her side on the journey to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, is running for Congress.Even if she wins the March primary, however, Dione Sims faces an uphill battle against the District 25 incumbent.
From her days at Southwest High School in Fort Worth, to earning a business degree at Texas Wesleyan University, to starting a non-profit in 2000 called Unity Unlimited, Sims has been active in her community for some time."When I started that nonprofit, it was based on a youth event, getting young people together," said Sims.Now, she's on the verge of a campaign to represent that community in Washington. The kickoff for that campaign is set for Saturday, Jan. 10., in Forest Hill at 4 p.m.Sims says she’s focused on fundraising and building a strong team of supporters.Some of the issues she calls key to her campaign:"Having a living and prevailing wage; being able to have healthcare that you can afford; to be able to buy food and fuel; and then education. We can’t run away from technology. Our kids' education is going to be really important," Sims said.Her candidacy, she says, was borne out of her concern for families and people in general."We’re seeing our freedoms being stripped left and right, and people who are supposed to be standing up and protecting those freedoms are causing problems," Sims said. In the newly redrawn District 25, Sims and retired Navy veteran William Marks will face off in the Democratic primary. The winner will take on longtime Republican incumbent Rep. Roger Williams.The district was reshaped after a Republican-led effort earlier this year to garner five additional seats in Congress. The maneuvering led to Democratic Rep. Marc Veasey’s decision to not seek re-election.As for her own life, Sims says something she never expected was the years-long venture assisting her grandmother, Dr. Opal Lee, on a journey that ultimately saw Juneteenth become a national holiday."The world, of course, wants to know what Miss Opal’s reaction was. So I’m telling her, just sitting at her table, and I’m talking to her. I said, ‘grandmother dear, I want to run for Congress. I’ve decided to run for Congress.’ And she said, ‘ok, where’s your stuff for me to hand out?’ I said, ‘well we haven’t printed anything yet,’" Sims recalled."That touched my heart," Sims continued, "because this is something she saw for me a long time ago."
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