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5h ago

Opal Lee Joins Fort Worth Juneteenth Walk Virtually as Granddaughter Steps In

The virtual participation underscores Lee’s recovery from recent hospitalization, with her granddaughter leading the 2.5-mile commemoration.

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Opal Lee, 98, (center) will not attend this year’s Walk of Freedom, recognizing the Juneteenth holiday, due to health concerns, but she plans to participate virtually. She’s shown here at the walk in 2023.

Overview

  • The Walk for Freedom began at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at Farrington Field in Fort Worth’s Cultural District, tracing a 2.5-mile route.
  • Lee, 98, recovering from a recent hospitalization and concerns over high temperatures, will join the walk online.
  • Dione Sims, Lee’s granddaughter and president of Unity Unlimited Inc., is leading the march in her place.
  • The 2.5-mile distance symbolizes the two and a half years it took for enslaved people in Texas to learn of their emancipation, and an after-party is set for Farrington Field.
  • Launched in 2016 to advocate for national recognition of Juneteenth, the walk now emphasizes education on the holiday’s significance and is mirrored by events in cities from Los Angeles to Tokyo.