90-year-old Fort Worth woman walking to Washington D.C. to make Juneteenth a holiday

FORT WORTH, Texas - A 90-year-old woman hoping to change history is marching from Fort Worth to Washington D.C.

Community activist Opal Lee hopes to convince the president and Congress to make Juneteenth a national holiday.

Her family tree is rooted in slavery. So she’s determined to bring more attention to the day that slaves in Texas learned they were free, two and a half years after emancipation.

“We sent petitions, asked Congress to make it a holiday and nobody’s been listening. So I thought if a 90-year-old woman started walking to Washington someone would take notice,” Lee said.

She departed from Fort Worth’s Baker Chapel AME Church Thursday and intends to walk 10 miles each day until she either gets to Washington or someone there takes notice of her.

A nurse and others will follow her in an RV just to make sure she’s okay.

LINK: www.opalswalk2dc.com

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