Opal Lee, known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” is recovering in the hospital but “doing well and in good spirits,” her family says.
Lee was hospitalized last month after visiting Ohio to mark the 30th anniversary of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, The Dallas Morning News reported. The 98-year-old is known for her decades-long campaign to establish Juneteenth - June 19 - as a national holiday, a dream that came to fruition in 2021 thanks to then-President Joe Biden.
The Fort Worth, Texas, civil rights leader is “still unstoppable,” despite her hospitalization, according to a news release from Unity Unlimited Inc., a nonprofit run by her granddaughter Dione Sims.
"She is doing well and in good spirits," Sims said in a statement, according to WFAA. "We are waiting on discharge orders."
Lee is currently recovering in the hospital in Ohio, but is looking forward to returning home to Texas.
It was not immediately clear why she was hospitalized or how long she had been there.
Lee thanked those who have reached out to check on her in a Facebook post, writing, "Although I am unable to return the many texts and calls I have received over the past few days, please know that each one is appreciated; I am truly grateful for your concern and good wishes.”
Lee became known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth” for her decades-long activism and efforts to make the day a federally recognized holiday in the U.S.
Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery after the Civil War, and recognizes the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas two years after it was issued. It is now celebrated every year on June 19 after Biden officially designated the day a holiday.
Last year, Lee received a Presidential Medal of Freedom from Biden. She was also nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
