Opal Lee, the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” celebrated her 98th birthday Thursday evening and got to see what the inside of the upcoming National Juneteenth Museum will look like with the unveiling of new images.
The event took place at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History at 1600 Gendy St.
When asked about the importance of the Juneteenth museum, Lee says it will be a “motivator” for Fort Worth’s Southside community, but most importantly a place for everyone.
“It means that people everywhere can come together to make the nation aware of our unity,” Lee said. “It’s not just a Texas thing, or a black thing, it’s for everyone.”
Jarred Howard, CEO of the National Juneteenth Museum, presented multiple views of the inside of the museum from the dining room, exhibition galleries, 250-seat theater, public courtyard and more.
The front of the museum, where the National Juneteenth Museum sign will be displayed, will feature an LED screen to promote various opportunities in the community.
The museum will not be displayed in chronological order, but will have themes to tell a story, Howard said. The reason is that Juneteenth is one day and the story behind it is more compelling. There will be themes such as “Journey to Freedom” that will focus on the journey to Juneteenth, who participated and how we got here.
There will be other themes that celebrate building community and celebrating Black culture from the food, business and people who make it up.
“We want you to talk about it because we want to get it built and we want to get it built quickly for a number of reasons,” Howard said. “And last but not least, we have a 98-year-old champion who wants to see and experience it.”
The museum will also host a speaker series and education programs for children.
Lee symbolically walked 1,400 miles from Fort Worth to Washington DC in 2016 to draw attention to the importance of the Juneteenth holiday. In 2021, Lee, who lives in Fort Worth, was present when President Joe Biden signed legislation to make Juneteenth a national holiday. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.
The museum’s original location was to have been on vacant land in the 900 block of East Rosedale Street, but the organization was are unable to acquire the land. The museum now has its sights set on 959 E. Rosedale St., home of the Southside Community Center. A report from an architectural firm shows that the community center is in need of renovation, but that there are no future plans to renovate the center.
The National Juneteenth Museum is halfway to its $36 million fundraising goal for construction, operating costs and programming, Howard announced during the celebration.
The estimated opening for the museum is in 2026.
