From Teacher to Trailblazer: Opal Lee’s Legacy

Welcome to Women’s History Wednesdays!

Dr. Opal Flake Lee is an African American retired teacher, counselor, and activist. She is often referred to as the “grandmother of Juneteenth” due to her tireless efforts in advocating for the recognition of Juneteenth as a federally recognized holiday.

Motivation to Activism

Dr. Opal Flake Lee was born on 7 October 1926 in Marshall, Texas to Otis Flake and Mattie Broadous. Her family celebrated Juneteenth with food and baseball games, instilling in her a deep appreciation for the significance of this day. By the time she turned 10 years old, her family moved to Fort Worth, Texas. At the age of 12, her family moved to a predominantly white neighborhood in Fort Worth. White rioters vandalized and burned down her family’s home on June 19, 1939. This event fueled her determination to educate people about Juneteenth beyond mere festivities.

She graduated from I.M. Terrell High School at 16 years old. She married Joe Thomas Roland, Jr. and had four children; however, the marriage only lasted five years and they divorced. Lee graduated from Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She taught at Amanda McCoy Elementary School for 15 years while working nights at Convair, an aircraft manufacturing company, to support her children. She married Dale Timothy Lee, a principal at Morningside Elementary School in 1967.

Later, she earned her master’s degree in counseling and Guidance from North Texas State University (now University of North Texas). Lee served as an educator in the Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD) for 15 years and as a home school counselor for nine years before retiring in 1977.

Community Catalyst

Dr. Lee volunteers tirelessly for her community:

• Helped organize the Tarrant County Black Historical and Genealogical Society which serves as an archive for black history in the city of Fort Worth, warehousing literature, memorabilia, phots and artifacts of African American life.
• Member of the Fort Worth-Tarrant County Community Action Agency (CAA) board.
• Member of the Evans Avenue Business Association board.
• Member of the Tarrant County Habitat for Humanity board and Citizens Concerned with Human Dignity.
• Created a nonprofit organization, Unity Unlimited, Inc., operating since 1994; she is currently a board member.
• Campaigned for gubernatorial candidate Ann Richards and President Barack Obama.

Soror Shalese Johnson, Soror Opal Lee and Soror Nazjah Bakarr at Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. – Omega Mu Zeta chapter Sneaker Ball on June 8, 2024.

Dr. Lee became a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. in 2016. At the remarkable age of 89, she embarked on a journey from her home in Fort Worth, Texas, to the nation’s capital, advocating for Juneteenth to be recognized as a national holiday. Her unwavering dedication paid off when President Joe Biden signed the bill in 2021, making Juneteenth a federal holiday.

Dedicated to the Cause

Dr. Lee became a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. in 2016. At the remarkable age of 89, she embarked on a journey from her home in Fort Worth, Texas, to the nation’s capital, advocating for Juneteenth to be recognized as a national holiday. Her unwavering dedication paid off when President Joe Biden signed Senate Bill S. 475 in 2021, making Juneteenth the eleventh federal holiday.   Lee received two honorary doctorate degree from the University of North Texas (2023) and Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas (2024). In 2024, President Biden awarded Lee the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States,  for her tireless efforts in establishing Juneteenth as a significant day in American history.