“Grandmother of Juneteenth” at Pikes Peak State College

(COLORADO SPRINGS) — On Thursday, April 11, “The Grandmother of Juneteenth” spoke at Pikes Peak State College (PPSC) about the ongoing struggle for Civil Rights and the impact of grassroots activism.

According to officials, Dr. Opal Lee’s “Opal Walk” in 2016, which stretched from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., inspired over a million people to endorse a petition advocating for the recognition of Juneteenth as a federal holiday.

During the walk, Dr. Lee covered a distance of two and a half miles each day, symbolizing the two and a half years between January 1, 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, and June 19, 1865, when news of freedom finally reached enslaved Black Texans in Galveston.

“Abolitionists, both black and white that, you know, fought for the abolition of slavery because it was the right thing to do. They risked life and limb and family themselves. And so that’s what Juneteenth has got to be about, showing the inclusivity of what it means to be free,” said Dione Sims, Grandaughter of Opal Lee.

According to organizers, the “Opal Walk” has evolved into an annual event aimed at symbolizing the progress our nation has made.

In 2021, President Joe Biden signed Juneteenth as the 12th official federal holiday.

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