Grandmother of Juneteenth, Opal Lee, Shares the Importance of this Historic Holiday | Southern Icons

[@southernliving]

Thanks for watching! Learn more about Miss Opal Lee's mission to highlight the Juneteenth holiday, here: www.southernliving.com/culture/opal-lee-grandmother-of-juneteenth

[@sherriebrown1387]

What a lesson in the history of Juneteenth. Opal is a joy to learn from and will go down in history for her efforts and I pray the manifestation of a National holiday for this most awesome day in American history 😊

[@lindaj713]

Her gentleness speaks volume. Thank you for the history lesson. Such a beautiful soul.

[@jameshurst8529]

How are you doing?

[@mishonlandry2785]

Ms. Opal Lee has been a friend of family for many decades and we are so very proud of the work she has been doing in the community!

[@jameshurst8529]

How are you doing?

[@charleybarley914]

please pass along my love and respect to Ms Opal and I hope today of all days she's feeling well and enjoying the fesivities.

[@Ceedeetunis]

A tireless advocate of freedom and equality. She is so elegant!

[@robynd7656]

Thank you, Southern Living, for posting this.

[@southernliving]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@rosemarybriscoe8593]

Great history lesson Mrs. OPAL. Well done , God bless you and family ..❤❤❤💥💥💥🌹🌹🌹

[@barrieevans890]

Ms. Opal, you are a great champion for history. You have a strong message. Thank you, too, for showing how vital we can be in our 90s.

[@placeholder_name321]

Great history lesson! Thank you thank you

[@mskleftwich]

“None of us are free until we are all free” 🙏❤️

[@tonyawykle4966]

Thank you southern living, have a great day!! Xoxo ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️😘😚 princess

[@LindaMitchell]

Thank you for this interview! I wish that certain politicians weren't afraid to teach _all_ of our American History in public schools. It's ashamed that so many students don't learn about our history.

[@Blueberry40]

God bless you Miss Lee. Today is your day.

[@Carmelmen1]

God bless this woman!

[@carriecolquit3532]

Amen I don't want to fight no more I'm tired of it so help me God 🙏🙏🙏

[@biancaredifer6570]

I give honor to you mother Opal. Thank you!

[@gennarosenberg1083]

Ms. Opal Lee is my hero!

[@SueSueRen]

Praise God! I was born FREE and I’ll scream it from the rooftops.

[@garymclaughin]

Southern living is what's this is called. In the Yukon we celebrate because longest day of the year sit up top of the mountain you can see it sun goes down for 20 minutes comes up on the East. Good Job celebrate end of June and first part of July American history and freedom for all going forward for everyone. Sawadee Khap.🤠

[@0110Nay]

This past Thursday was emancipation day for the state of Florida

[@lovehill8440]

God gave us our freedom back!

[@djdigital3806]

Juneteenth is now a Federal Holiday here in Nevada in 2023! Greetings from Las Vegas.

[@williamshelton4150]

Why should it be a Federal holiday? Emancipation had already taken place two years earlier for slaves in the other southern states.

[@KG-xf9ew]

She is a treasure. The rest of them need to be more like her and Thomas Sowell.

[@debbycoley]

❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@MsViola1950]

Thank You Miss Opal, MTCI will carry the Torch with you.

[@cookiegilcrest1000]

QUEEN OPAL LEE!

[@JaymeeKay]

What would the world be like if we all could say, "it's in my DNA to help people." God bless!

[@karenricks5630]

Queen

[@reekhavoc2932]

🧙🏾‍♀️

[@cookiegilcrest1000]

FAIR HOUSING, PRISON REFORM, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, HEALTH CARE.

[@karenricks5630]

You never told me that

[@lovehill8440]

We Owe Cod not man they are the tools God used!

[@byrnc927]

We should all celebrate Junteenth! It is a celebration of the "Abolishment of Slavery by the Republicans."

[@LindaMitchell]

Today's Republicans would have teachers fired for teaching their students about slavery, the truth of the Civil War, Emancipation, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, Civil Rights, etc. Long gone are the abolitionists, 13th Amendment fighting Republicans. It's sad. Help bring them back! 🙏🏽

[@kamwickw933]

Which would be Democrats nowadays - your point?

[@byrnc927]

@kamwickw933 You need to review the precise history (in the written historical record) of the abolishment of Slavery. Perhaps you should read Thomas Sowell's thought-provoking book, "Black Rednecks and White Liberals." Maybe you should spend less time on CNN or MSNBC and more time in your public library.

[@kamwickw933]

@@byrnc927 Kind of funny how so many Republican politicians voted agains celebrating Juneteenth. Gee, wonder why that is? Your keen desire to celebrate "Republicans" shows your true colors. Sure, that part of history is accurate, but it's not relevant to what is happening today, and you know it. The 19th century slave-holding and Jim Crow supporting Dems, and the Dixiecrats of the mid-20th century, if they were alive today, would be GOP. Who is the party who is continuously rebranding the Confederacy with whining about 'heroes', 'history' and a 'more genteel time'? Who thinks it's really bad to take down statues honoring generals who fought to preserve slavery and were just fine with conditions in horrific Confederate prison camps? Which party are members of the KKK more likely to support? And of COURSE you would just fawn on Thomas Sowell. He's the darling du jour of folks whose fee-fees are in a twist because of the ugliness of history. The same folks who think people need to 'move on'. A while back, 'conservative' evangelicals were all over this guy. dawsonvosburg.medium.com/whats-wrong-with-thomas-sowell-464baab5978e www.mississippifreepress.org/21122/white-supremacy-vs-negro-ineptitude-sowells-myths-of-economic-inequality So, for all the mewling that Republicans were the 'good guys,' it doesn't disguise the fact that Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt wouldn't recognize today's GOP. www.chicagotribune.com/columns/dahleen-glanton/ct-met-dahleen-glanton-republican-party-racism-20190114-story.html theconversation.com/texas-voting-law-builds-on-long-legacy-of-racism-from-gop-leaders-166807

[@dancingwithgravity]

💚💛🩵

[@shereerockdaschel9301]

You do have freedom now. We have come along way in this nation and we don’t need to go back. We have to stop looking in the rearview mirror and move forward. It was terrible what your people went through but they’re not going through that now.

[@kamwickw933]

And yet, politicians in many red states are actually trying to erase the history. 'Get over it' is not a good strategy. Maybe you want to forget WWII and the Holocaust as well? That would say a lot about you.

[@karenricks5630]

U look beautiful

[@MrTee-de7to]

Juneteenth is not black history it's white history. American blacks didn't become free through battle like the blacks of Haiti, they have a actual Independence Day. As a black person, I would never treat June 19 as a holiday or an event to celebrate. It makes me sick to think anyone would. Just because my kidnapper, enslaver, rapist, murderer, and torturer finally recognized the sin against humanity they were committing? That’s ridiculous. Should someone who was raped celebrate every year the date their rapist released them, OMG. It should be a national day of prayer to beg God’s forgiveness in the hope that He isn't sending not only the enslavers but the generations of their progeny, who reap the benefits even to this day, straight to hellfire for the abhorrent things that were done to fellow human beings. Instead, celebrate and honor the date of Nat Turners Rebellion. That would celebrate action rather than reaction to Massa letting you go.

[@michellehuff1710]

How about celebrating our achievements all year round. Who are you mentoring, teaching and nurturing? It’s a day of meaning that we all agree to come together . That’s all. We all recognize the messy history and details .

[@MrTee-de7to]

@@michellehuff1710 That would be nice if there was a celebration about that. But why not pick a date or event we caused rather than one created by our enslavers. And if there ever was an understatement "messy history" is it. Hundreds of thousands of human beings being murdered is a bit beyond that.

[@kamwickw933]

@@MrTee-de7to This.

[@kamwickw933]

Why not both?

[@John_Lofgren]

On Juneteenth Opal Lee and Dione Sims were where? Marching in the south? Maybe in an African country where 38 of 52 countries still have slavery? Nope. They both were in luxurious Tokyo, Japan, where the place and people had nothing to do with slavery. Grifters know the Japanese are easy to take advantage of. It’s shameful behavior.

[@naomis.sharif]

I would love to send this to, STEVE HARVEY. I Wonder if OPRAH, TYLER PERRY 🤔, VANZANT, African -American PUBLIC SCHOOL Teachers, MLK Jr., Jesse Jackson etc.... l wonder if they have known all along...l know Harvey does not know. He and WHOOPIE, would stop bragging about improper grammar, and CUSSIN, for a laugh when unable to use correct grammar. You also, SPIKE LEE.

[@reneeware8964]

It’s unfortunate they know if they want to maintain their status they’d better stay in line.

[@kamwickw933]

Some of what people consider 'improper grammar and pronunciation' is actually dialect. With grammar rules. Our country is a beautiful mixture of many different dialects. If you study linguistics you will know this. English is a beautifully flexible language that has changed over centuries. Those public school teachers you are castigating know that there is a difference. 'Standard English' is taught, but home dialects/languages need to be respected. They have history.

[@jjthoughts9920]

I wished she fought this hard for reparations, oh well i guess some people are willing to accept crumbs.

[@msconcreterose93]

Or you could?

[@kamwickw933]

just curious, how will it be decided who gets reparations?

[@ann-mariey5971]

🤦‍♀️