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Opal Lee To Be Recognized By Visit Fort Worth
(Tuesday, January 19, 2021 ) -- Visit Fort Worth, the city’s tourism marketing organization, will recognize Fort Worth ISD alumna Opal Lee with its Hospitality Award this February.
Ms. Lee is being recognized February 5 for “her efforts to make Fort Worth a more welcoming community,” according to a recent statement issued by the City of Fort Worth. The award is being presented at Visit Fort Worth breakfast being hosted at the Omni Hotel.
Ms. Lee is a former Fort Worth ISD teacher and counselor and 2019 Wall of fame honoree. For more than four decades, she’s advocated for Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday. Juneteenth, annually celebrated June 19 in African American communities, commemorates the day slaves were officially emancipated in Texas. On June 19, 1865, Maj. Gen. Gordan Granger arrived on the shores of Galveston with news that the Civil War had ended and that all slaves were freed. The order was announced more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, declaring an end to slavery throughout the United States.
In 2020, Ms. Lee’s fight to have Juneteenth recognized nationally was shared across social media and resulted in 1.4 million joining her campaign signing an online petition to see that the date is recognized federally. Her story was shared by celebrities including Usher, Diddy and Lupita Nyong’o.
“Opal Lee’s positive message about freedom captured national attention this year. In honoring her, we want to emphasize that everyone is welcome in Fort Worth, Texas,” said Mark Nurdin, chairman of the Visit Fort Worth board of directors in the city’s recent statement.
Learn more about the Hospitality Award and the upcoming breakfast here.