Opal Lee has spent much of the last two decades fighting to make Juneteenth a national holiday, and this week, the 94-year-old Texan’s dream came a whole lot closer to becoming a reality.
The US Senate this week voted unanimously to pass a resolution establishing June 19 – the day African Americans celebrate the end of slavery – as a federal holiday.
Ms Lee was thrilled. “I wanted to do a holy dance,” she said. “Getting the bill passed, getting it on the calendar is something we really want done.”
The bill, first introduced a year ago, was stalled when it was blocked by Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin.
This time around, he said he still objected to the legislation but would not block it.
“While it still seems strange that having taxpayers provide federal employees paid time off is now required to celebrate the end of slavery, it is clear that there is no appetite in Congress to further discuss the matter,” Mr Johnson said in a press release.
The bill must still be approved by the US House of Representatives and be signed by President Joe Biden before becoming a law, though it is widely expected that this will occur.
What is Juneteenth?
African Americans have been celebrating Juneteenth since the 1800s as a date that marks the freeing of the last slaves in the US.
While Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1863, formally ending slavery, it wasn’t until the end of the Civil War that all slaves were freed.
On June 19, 1865, the news of the war's conclusion finally reached Galveston, Texas, marking the true end of slavery.
Where is it celebrated?
Juneteenth is celebrated by African Americans across the country.
Texas was the first state to officially declare it a holiday in 1980, and 46 of the 50 US states and the District of Columbia have since followed suit.
Traditions vary from state to state, and while it is a holiday of celebration, some choose to observe it more solemnly to honour those who suffered under slavery.
Juneteenth this year will take on even more meaning after the country was rocked over the past year by protests against racial injustice, including Black Lives Matter demonstrations sparked by the police killing of George Floyd.
Last year, celebrations were muted by Covid-19 restrictions, with the pandemic hitting black communities disproportionately hard.
With restrictions in most states now lifted, celebrations are expected across the country.
Ms Lee, who is called the "grandmother" of Juneteenth, plans on celebrating in Fort Worth, Texas, with her annual four-kilometre (2.5-mile) walk to mark the two and a half years it took for the news of freedom to reach all enslaved people in the US.
Similar walks inspired by Ms Lee will take place in Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and other major cities across the US.
“It's not just a black thing or Texas thing that Juneteenth is freedom,” she told The National. “I say we should celebrate from [June 19] to the Fourth of July.”
But Ms Lee acknowledges the bill is only a small step in addressing racism and systemic injustice in America.
“I'm hoping that the country understands when it actually becomes law that we have so much work to do,” she said.
The US House of Representatives is expected to vote on the legislation that would establish June 19 as a holiday on Wednesday.
