Texas Senate to honor Fort Worth civil rights icon Opal Lee

The Texas Senate will honor Opal Lee, the Fort Worth educator and civil rights icon behind the federal Juneteenth holiday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Sen. Beverly Powell announced Tuesday. The ceremony is scheduled for July 22.

“Sen. Powell and I have been working on a ceremony to honor Opal Lee since before the Special Session convened. We have assigned Senate Resolution #19 especially for the event,” Patrick said in a statement. “We want to honor this amazing Texan for her perseverance in making Juneteenth not just a Texas holiday but also a federal holiday.”

Bowell, of Burleson, said in the statement: “Having ‘Miss Opal’ in my district is such an honor and I am so proud to host her at the Texas Capitol. Although we were not able to host Opal Lee today, there was never any doubt that we were moving forward with it. I look forward to introducing my famous constituent and our national treasure to my colleagues and presenting Senate Resolution #19 to honor her lifetime of work.”