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Opal Lee — the grandmother of Juneteenth — is 96 and still walking for equality

NPR
Published June 19, 2023 at 8:20 AM EDT
Vice President Kamala Harris (R) 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. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
Vice President Kamala Harris (R) 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. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

For the full conversation, click here.

96-year-old Opal Lee has spent decades walking and advocating for the date marking actual emancipation to be recognized as a national holiday. And this is the third year June 19 is a federal holiday. Lee was part of the celebration at the White House last week marking the holiday.

Here & Now‘s Peter O’Dowd talked with Opal Lee last year.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.