VIDEO: Opal Lee, Grandmother of Juneteenth, Visits Cook Children’s
“She is a poster child for unity, strength, resilience and for overcoming childhood adversity and trauma."
Opal Lee's granddaughter
Opal Lee, known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth, visited Cook Children’s Medical Center – Fort Worth with her granddaughter, Dione Sims, Executive Director Unity Unlimited, Inc., to discuss health equity and the importance of Juneteenth and its impact on children.
A Fort Worth native, Ms. Opal has an incredible life story and was recently awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her push to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. At 97 years old, she's working with local and national civil rights advocates to open a National Juneteenth Museum on Rosedale Avenue in Fort Worth in 2026.
Anu Partap, M.D., M.P.H., Medical Director of Health Equity Integration at Cook Children’s, was the host of a special Pediatric Grand Rounds on June 18 with Ms. Opal that focused on the connection between education, healing, health, and resilience in childhood.
Ms. Opal shared with the audience that Juneteenth is important because it addresses many different issues, including encouraging children to reach for their dreams.
“Fourth of July freed the land, Juneteenth freed the people,” she said.
Dione said that Juneteenth is not “just a date on the calendar." It brings people together and gives people hope.
“The freedom that Juneteenth represents… we need children to think about greater things helps shape where they’re going and gives them the ability to think outside the box,” Dione said.
Of her grandmother, Dione said: “She is a poster child for unity, strength, resilience and for overcoming childhood adversity and trauma. To such a degree, that there is no better icon."
After Grand Rounds, Ms. Opal read aloud her book Juneteenth: A Children’s Story to children of Cook Children's employees, and then took photos with the families. The book details the beginnings of slavery in the United States and how Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when troops arrived in Galveston to read the declaration that slavery had ended.
Ms. Opal told the children and adults in the room that her greatest piece of advice is to always help others.
“We all are our brothers' keepers, that’s what the Bible tells us. And the little ones we certainly should nurture if we don’t do anything else," she said.
More about Juneteenth:
For more information about Juneteenth activities at Cook Children's and the community, please see a page on New CookNet compiled by the Black Organization for Leadership and Development (BOLD+) Employee Resource Group. BOLD+ will be hosting a virtual Lunch and Learn on Wednesday, June 19 at noon via Zoom. Here is the link.
Thank you, Cook Children's, for inviting this courageous woman to speak to us on the 2nd anniversary honoring this important moment in our history.