Meet Opal Lee, the 'grandmother of Juneteenth'

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom

Published June 19, 2025 at 11:47 AM EDT

Click here for the original audio.

We revisit host Peter O’Dowd’s 2022 conversation with Opal Lee, the woman who spent decades walking and advocating for Juneteenth to be recognized as a national holiday.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

NPR Headlines

Here & Now Newsroom

More from Delaware Public Media

NPR Headlines

What the equinox 'henge' effect tells us about U.S. cities

Bill Chappell

The fall equinox, which arrives Tuesday in the U.S., brings shorter days, and chances to witness alignment between Earth and the sun. It's a modern version of ancient observances of a celestial shift.
NPR Headlines

Aviation regulators turn to AI to help manage the nation's airspace

Joel Rose

The Federal Aviation Administration launched an ambitious $875-million-dollar push to make the U.S. airspace more efficient. But critics say it won't solve bigger problems with air traffic control.
NPR Headlines

Paramount makes concessions to salvage $111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery deal

David Folkenflik, Mandalit del Barco

Paramount's owners have made concessions to 12 Democratic state attorneys general to settle a lawsuit that endangered the media company's bid for its larger Hollywood rival, Warner Bros. Discovery.