Fort Worth icon, grandmother of Juneteenth breaks ground on new home on 97th birthday

Grandmother of Juneteenth breaks ground on new home on 97th birthday

FORT WORTH (CBSNewsTexas.com) - Miss Opal Lee, also known as the grandmother of Juneteenth, turns 97 years old on Saturday.

To celebrate, Trinity Habitat for Humanity held a groundbreaking on Saturday for Lee's new home.

It's on the same plot of land where her childhood home once stood.

White rioters burned down that home on Juneteenth in 1939 when Lee was just 12.

During a Facebook live Friday, Lee spoke about the years she spent trying to get the lot back.

"You know what, I tried for years to find out who owned the lot," said Lee. "I found out that Habitat owned it. I offered to buy it, they wouldn't sell it to me. They gave it to me."

Lee is also one of Trinity Habitat's founding board members.

The property where her home is being built is in Fort Worth's historic Southside.

S.E. Jenkins

S.E. Jenkins is a digital content producer for CBS Texas. S.E. has previously held roles in London and Ukraine. She has also been a Digital Content Producer in Tallahassee and Myrtle Beach. S.E. graduated with journalism degrees from Texas State University, Aarhus Universitet and City University of London.