Opal Lee to make appearance at 2024 Tri-County Miss Juneteenth Scholarship Pageant in Temple

Opal Lee to make appearance at 2024 Tri-County Miss Juneteenth Scholarship Pageant in Temple
"Her petitioning to get Juneteenth a federal holiday is one of the many things that she accomplished - she's written many books and she's done a lot of things to model what us a black woman can do," said Kyra Williams, a participant in the 2024 Miss Tri-County Juneteenth Pageant.
As Juneteenth is celebrated across the nation, many Central Texans the story of how it began in Texas.
Texas native Opal Lee is considered be one of the "Grandmothers of Juneteenth".
She walked from Fort Worth to Washington DC in 2016, and she advocated for Juneteenth to be recognized as a national holiday - it was signed into law as the newest federal holiday in 2021.
"As Miss Juneteenth, we are the political leaders who can lead our children and then their children into the next day," Williams said.
The seventh Tri-County Miss Juneteenth Pageant will take place on Friday at the Arts and Activity Center in Temple - Opal Lee will be the guest of honor.