Opal Lee celebrates 100th birthday as Juneteenth museum construction begins

Community leaders and supporters gathered in Fort Worth, Texas, to celebrate the 100th birthday of civil rights icon Opal Lee, known as the ‘Grandmother of Juneteenth.’ The event also marked the commencement of site preparation for the $70 million National Juneteenth Museum.

Construction begins with the demolition of an old community center to make way for the 50,000-square-foot facility. The museum is planned to feature galleries, a 250-seat theater, a business incubator, a food hall, and a genealogy center powered by FamilySearch. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has committed $3 million toward the museum’s construction.

Opal Lee was a central figure in the decades-long campaign to establish Juneteenth as a United States federal holiday. As part of the museum’s Uniting Voices speaker series, former First Lady Michelle Obama is scheduled to appear at the Fort Worth Convention Center.