‘Change their mind’: People can be taught to love, Opal Lee says on day to celebrate freedom

Amid temperatures that felt like 104, Opal Lee completed her “Walk for Freedom” on Monday and called for people to make a change in others.

“We all know people that aren’t on the same page as us — change their mind,” Lee told the crowd at Evans Plaza. “If people have been taught to hate, they can be taught to love.”

Lee, 96, a retired educator who has spent most of her life in Fort Worth, spent years to make Juneteenth a national holiday. Her efforts included a 1,400-mile walk to Washington in 2016. President Joe Biden signed the holiday into law in 2021 — with Lee at his side.

Juneteenth recognizes General Order No. 3, which proclaimed the freedom of slaves in Texas on June 19, 1865, almost two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

Lee’s 2.5-mile walk through the Historic Southside represents the time it took for the news of freedom to reach the enslaved people in Texas.

Before the walk started, people danced in the plaza as the sun emerged from the clouds, settling the temperature around 90, but the “feel-like” was over 100 degrees. Someone was even getting their dogs ready to start the walk.

People lined the streets to get a glimpse of Lee and cheer on the rest of the walkers.

Organizers said about 1,500 participated. Lee rode in a golf cart for part of it.

Signs could be seen throughout the crowd with the words saying, “Go Ms. Opal.”

Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker said Lee isn’t just the grandmother of Juneteenth, she is also the “grandmother of Fort Worth,” she said.

“There is no one more important to our city than Ms. Opal right now,” said Parker. “And Fort Worth will always be supportive.”

Texas Sen. John Cornyn also participated in the walk. While the federal holiday of Juneteenth shows the progress of our society, it also shows “how much work we still have to do,” he said.

U.S. Rep. Colin Allred also spoke about the importance of the walk and the holiday as a whole.

“It’s not just a day off,” he said. “It’s a day to think about freedom.”

The event featured performances by the Alpha Chorus, the Dallas Mavericks Maniacs and the Kids Who Care Choir.

The Mavericks drumline played throughout the walk, keeping up the energy in the streets.

The walk campaign was established in 2016. Over the years, walks have taken place in more than 20 cities, according to the walk’s website.

Lee was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.