Opal Lee travels to Japan to share story of Juneteenth
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FORT WORTH, Texas - Civil rights advocate Opal Lee is traveling abroad to share the story of how she helped make Juneteenth a federal holiday.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient from Fort Worth arrived in Japan on Tuesday.
She'll be there for about a week.
Lee is set to visit a U.S. Navy Base to participate in a Juneteenth Walk of Freedom.
The visit is part of her ongoing push to educate people about the emancipation of African Americans after the Civil War.
"This is just the new leg of educating the globe of what Juneteenth means, because its more than just past slavery. It's about the relevance of freedom for everybody," said Dione Sims, Opal Lee's granddaughter.
The 97-year-old advocate will also visit a middle school in Japan.
She's set to return to North Texas just before Memorial Day Weekend.
