Ms. Opal Lee to Return to Washington For Black History Month, Reveals Steps Needed to Make Juneteenth a National Holiday In 2021
The social impact leader will be joined by Steve Williams, President of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation of which she is a board member, and a number of special guests and legislators.
WASHINGTON, DC, Feb. 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today Unity Unlimited announces that to mark the culmination of Black History Month and highlight the importance of making Juneteenth a national holiday in 2021, social impact leader and 'Grandmother of Juneteenth,' Ms. Opal Lee is launching her Juneteenth: A Road to Unity campaign by hosting a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington on Thursday, February 25.
At 94 years old, time is of the essence to Ms. Opal, who will discuss the need for an early reintroduction of Juneteenth legislation so that this historic date is recognized as a national day of observance by June 19, 2021.
Ms. Opal will also provide an update on the number of signatures the Change.org petition to make Juneteenth a national holiday – which is currently on its way to three million – has received since she visited the capitol last September and physically delivered 1.5 million signatures to congressional leaders.
The social impact leader will be joined by Steve Williams, President of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation of which she is a board member, and a number of special guests and legislators.
In line with COVID-19 restrictions, the Ballroom at the National Press Club is equipped to host 50 in-person guests, and as such pre-event attendance confirmations are highly recommended. The event will be streamed live via Ms. Opal’s YouTube channel and Facebook page for those unable to physically attend.
Ms. Opal said: "I want people to see that Juneteenth can be the unifier that brings us all together and get people talking about the tough issues that are the residual effects of our collective histories. We can do so much more together than we can do apart. Start now by giving me your signature on the petition, don’t wait until I see you next week."
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To register for the in-person press conference email [email protected]
To tune in virtually via YouTube from 11:30am EST click here.
Click here to tune in virtually via Facebook from 11:30am EST.
To sign Ms. Opal’s Change.org petition visit her website.
About Ms. Opal Lee
Ms. Opal is the oldest living board member of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF) that was founded and led by the late Dr. Ronald Myers, Sr., whose initiative is for Juneteenth to become a national holiday. To bring awareness to the cause, she started her Opal’s Walk 2 DC campaign in 2016, where she walked 2.5 miles to symbolize the 2.5 years that it took for slaves in Texas to know that they were free. Ms. Opal launched a petition to make Juneteenth a national holiday on Change.org, and in September 2020 delivered the 1.5 million signatures it had received to Congress. Ms. Opal believes that freedom should be celebrated from the 19th of June to the 4th of July. Head here for more.
About Unity Unlimited, Inc.
Unity Unlimited, Inc. is a non-profit organization whose main mission is providing educational activities and resources to people, young and old, to foster unity and harmony within the community, the city, the state, the nation and the world regardless of race, culture or denomination. For more information visit: www.unityunlimited.org/
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Brea Carter [INVNT GROUP] +1 917.633.6171 [email protected]