The below message was written by Jim Jackson, a retired Methodist minister who has Daily Messages. This was his message today.
Opel Lee and Juneteenth
In 1937, Opal Lee’s family purchased a home on Annie Street in Fort Worth, Texas. It should have been a cause for family celebration. But instead, the purchase created a disaster. The home was located in what was considered a “white neighborhood,” and their new neighbors deemed the Lee’s to be a threat.
So, on Juneteenth (June 19), 1939, at the tender age of 12, Opal Lee watched in horror as a white mob of more than 500 irate white folks destroyed her family’s new home. Police officers were present that evening, but they did not intervene. The local newspaper reported that the police were unable to control the mob, but in truth they made no attempt to restrain them. Following this heinous act, the family moved to another home, and they never spoke about the trauma they had endured.
Opal Lee learned later that June 19 was also the date when freedom came to slaves in Texas. While President Abraham Lincoln had announced the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, news of the emancipation never reached Texas until June 19 (Juneteenth),1865—the same day the mob had burned down Opal’s Annie Street home.
Thoughts about having Juneteenth named a national holiday became Opal Lee’s “prima causa”—her first cause. Mrs. Lee, the 97 years old “grandmother of Juneteenth”, says she was determined for her children, grandchildren, great-grands, and great-great-grands to grow up in a more just world than the one she was born into. And she succeeded in 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law.
Juneteenth stands as a testament that good can come out of evil.
As a white male born in Houston in 1954, I was not as aware of Juneteenth as I should have been. For many years, I did not have a good appreciation for race problems in Texas. While we cannot change the past, we can learn from it. All of us are still learning many things we ought to understand and appreciate more fully.
Opel Lee and Juneteenth
In 1937, Opal Lee’s family purchased a home on Annie Street in Fort Worth, Texas. It should have been a cause for family celebration. But instead, the purchase created a disaster. The home was located in what was considered a “white neighborhood,” and their new neighbors deemed the Lee’s to be a threat.
So, on Juneteenth (June 19), 1939, at the tender age of 12, Opal Lee watched in horror as a white mob of more than 500 irate white folks destroyed her family’s new home. Police officers were present that evening, but they did not intervene. The local newspaper reported that the police were unable to control the mob, but in truth they made no attempt to restrain them. Following this heinous act, the family moved to another home, and they never spoke about the trauma they had endured.
Opal Lee learned later that June 19 was also the date when freedom came to slaves in Texas. While President Abraham Lincoln had announced the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, news of the emancipation never reached Texas until June 19 (Juneteenth),1865—the same day the mob had burned down Opal’s Annie Street home.
Thoughts about having Juneteenth named a national holiday became Opal Lee’s “prima causa”—her first cause. Mrs. Lee, the 97 years old “grandmother of Juneteenth”, says she was determined for her children, grandchildren, great-grands, and great-great-grands to grow up in a more just world than the one she was born into. And she succeeded in 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law.
Juneteenth stands as a testament that good can come out of evil.
As a white male born in Houston in 1954, I was not as aware of Juneteenth as I should have been. For many years, I did not have a good appreciation for race problems in Texas. While we cannot change the past, we can learn from it. All of us are still learning many things we ought to understand and appreciate more fully.
