Happy birthday, Ms. Opal Lee: The Fort Worth native and "Grandmother of Juneteenth" turns 100 years old

Navigating her senior years in a way that defies superlatives, Ms. Opal Lee, Fort Worth's most famous citizen who's lovingly known as the "Grandmother of Juneteenth," is now a centenarian. And she is not only thankful to have reached this milestone but also adamant that she still has something to show the younger generation.

"It's good to be here! At 100 years old? Good gracious a life!" she said in a sit-down interview with CBS Texas anchor and reporter Robbie Owens.  

As though the thought shocks even her, she bent her silver head as the golden warmth of her laughter filled her living room.

"All I can say is, 'thank you, Master ... thank you, thank you, thank you," Lee said. 

And then, almost as an afterthought, "But I'm enjoying it. I really am. And I just hope the other seniors who've reached this milestone will understand that we've got something to show the youngsters."

And Ms. Lee knows how to leave behind a legacy of advocacy. The North Texas icon is best known for helping make Juneteenth a federal holiday.

In honor of her birthday, the National Juneteenth Museum in Fort Worth is hosting events, including a conversation with former First Lady Michelle Obama that will commemorate her legacy of civil rights advocacy, education and nonprofit work.

Powerful words to live by 

CBS News Texas has visited Lee often over the years. As she chatted recently with Owens, leading up to her milestone birthday, there was no denying that Ms. Opal's steps have finally begun to slow. But the warmth and wit are still quick. And the beloved "Grandmother of Juneteenth" still has plenty to say and chores to assign to us all.

After all, who isn't a "youngster" to Ms. Opal?

She said she's going to continue telling the youth, as long as she can, to realize it's their responsibility to leave the world better than they found it.

"I just know that we can't sit back and watch things go on good and bad, and not have something to say about it," she urged. "And to encourage the young people to do their very best and not let things get out of hand. Oh, gracious! I want to get out there in the street and yank one of them every once in a while!" 

But then she laughed and admitted, "But I'm too old for that!"

Indeed. 

But her words remain powerful.

"And so I'm going to tell them as often as I can, it's your responsibility to see to those coming behind you have sense enough to act like human beings," she said. 

And Ms. Opal believes strongly that faith is an underutilized tool.

"I just believe that if the young people had a faith of their own, we'd be in a better place," she said. "They'd understand because they've learned through their faith that we are our brother's keeper. The Bible tells us this. It tells us we are all responsible for each other. And when we accept that fact and do something about it, then, hey, this is going to be a better place to live in."

How her past shaped her future

CBS News Texas has shared Ms. Opal's story and her journey from the very beginning. 

In 2017, a crew, along with Owens, walked through a weed – and trash-filled empty lot on Fort Worth's Southside – at the corner of Annie and New York Streets. It had been Ms. Opal's childhood home until a white mob attacked and burned the home to the ground.

An unscrupulous realtor had sold the family a home in an all-white neighborhood. While the mob ransacked and burned the home, local police stood by and watched. It happened on Juneteenth.

Decades later, Ms. Opal returned to the lot – but not to reminisce. The violence unleashed there had motivated her to take on a new mission – making Juneteenth a national holiday.

So why take on such a mission? Her response was both simple and profound.

"If somebody else had thought of it and made sure Juneteenth was a holiday, then, hey, I'd be able to just sit back and rock," she exclaimed. "But nobody seems to have thought about it. And Juneteenth is as special as July the 4th. So, here I am. Let's do Juneteenth."

How a "Walk of Freedom" turned into a lifelong achievement

In June 2016, at age 89, Ms. Lee set out from Fort Worth to walk 2.5 miles, acknowledging the two and a half years it took for the news of freedom to reach those enslaved in Galveston on June 19, 1865.

Celebrations following the news of freedom eventually became known as Juneteenth, which Black communities take part in every year.

Lee's 2016 walk, initially called Opal's Walk 2 DC, was a mission to walk 1,400 miles to Washington, D.C., and gather 100,000 petition signatures in hopes of prompting Congress to designate Juneteenth a federal holiday.

And from there, there was no stopping her journey. Her crusade garnered attention, support and a million and a half signatures.

Ms. Lee later made it an annual walk brought back to her hometown of Fort Worth, which was later dubbed "Opal's Walk of Freedom."

Then, finally, five years after her mission began, Lee was by President Biden's side when he made Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021. 

What is her proudest moment? 

Over the years, she has collected honorary doctorates and accolades too plentiful to count. She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2024 – the nation's highest civilian honor.

So, when asked to consider all that she had accomplished and which achievement made her most proud, in a quiet, reflective voice, her words came as a surprise.

"Having children and trying to see that they grow up and do the things that are right," she shared. 

Lee is a mother of four, with too many grand- and great-grandchildren to count, and she joked with a granddaughter nearby. But her words grew serious again.

"I think raising a family, raising children is as important as anything else we can possibly do," she said. 

"That's just some of them," she continued as she made her way to a wall and a low cabinet covered with pictures of smiling faces ... many of them grouped around her in large family photos. And her voice grew quiet, again.

"I could really dance a jig, I'm so happy to have these folk as my family," she shared.

And then, as she so often does, she adds some parting wisdom for the rest of us.

"So appreciate your family.  Do for them what you can. Chastise them when they need to be chastised ... and love them.  For goodness sakes, love them as much as you can ... as often as you can."

And yes. For as long as you can.

That love has been shown through generations, as Lee's granddaughter, Dione Sims, continues her advocacy work and is on a mission to get the state of Texas to add Lee to the school curriculum. 

"I want to petition for her to be a required person to study Juneteenth," Sims said in April of this year. "People that have to do with freedom, liberty, and unity; she's the embodiment of that. Helping to get Juneteenth as a national holiday, I think deserves to be mentioned." 

What Lee has embodied will live on for a lifetime. 

Happy Birthday, Ms. Opal. Just wonderful ... at 100.