Civil rights icon Opal Lee gets the keys to a home 85 years in the making in Fort Worth

In Fort Worth, a civil rights icon is finally returning home, an event 85 years in the making. Dr. Opal Lee, affectionately known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth, saw her new home on Annie Street for the first time on Friday morning.

“I only have one word – scrumptious,” she said with a laugh. “I am so happy. I just wish everybody could be as happy as I am now.”

Her joy was palpable as she took in the house, though it was tinged with bittersweet memories, knowing her family experienced their darkest days on that very land.

While she doesn’t remember much of the details, Lee knows what happened at her family’s home in 1939, in what is now the Historic Southside Neighborhood. At the time, they were the first Black family to move into the area.

“Would you believe that the newspaper reported about 500 people gathered across the street?” Lee said. “And the police were there. When my dad came home from work with a gun, the police told him if he fired, they would let the mob have us.”

That day, an angry mob burned her family home to the ground. Lee said she barely understood what was happening at the time.

“Our parents worked tirelessly to get us out of there. They moved us a few blocks away, and that’s where we stayed,” Lee recalled.

In the decades since, Lee has been a tireless advocate, fighting for voters’ rights, the rights of the unhoused, literacy for children, and walking to Washington, D.C. to urge lawmakers and President Joe Biden to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.

Throughout all her endeavors, she never lost sight of her desire to reclaim the land where her family home once stood. She eventually discovered that Trinity Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit she helped found, owned the land.

“I planned to put a house on it for sale, and then Habitat brought me the plans for a house they intended to build. I was so happy I could have done a Holy dance! I was awestruck. I didn’t know how to react. I decided that I would leave my current house and only bring my toothbrush to the new one,” Lee said.

To honor her lifelong dedication to racial justice and affordable housing, Trinity Habitat’s CEO Gage Yager partnered with Dr. Lee’s nonprofit, Citizens Concerned with Human Dignity, to break ground on the historic lot. They sold the land to her for $10 to make the transaction legal.

Construction began in early spring and was completed by early June. Dr. Lee visited the HistoryMaker Homes design center to select all the flooring, fixtures, and lighting for her home. Texas Capital provided a grant to furnish the home, creating a comfortable and welcoming space. JCPenney, a longstanding supporter of Dr. Lee, donated kitchen appliances, dinnerware, home décor, and linens for her bedrooms and bathrooms.

The homecoming was celebrated with a ceremony featuring local activists, community leaders, and supporters, marking a significant new chapter in Dr. Lee’s enduring legacy.

“This world should be one where there’s no strife. I don’t know how that will happen, but I’m looking forward to being a peaceful old lady,” she said.