FORT WORTH, Texas — In her 97 years, Opal Lee has seen a lot.
The civil rights activist has marched across the country, served as an honored guest at the White House and even been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. She earned the nickname “Grandmother of Juneteenth” for her tireless efforts to turn the day commemorating Black freedom from slavery into a national holiday.
So, perhaps it’s a cruel twist of fate that it was on June 19, 1939 – Juneteenth – when then 12-year-old Opal Flake witnessed the viciousness of racial hate firsthand.
Four days earlier, they’d moved onto 940 East Annie Street in Fort Worth, when newspapers reported a crowd of 500 showed up on their doorstep. A racist mob, forcing the family out of their new home while police stood by and watched.
“It was going to be the nicest place we had in Fort Worth. We were so proud of it,” Lee said. “We were frightened to death when our parents sent us away from the house. To come back later to see it in shambles, that was traumatic.”
Lee said she doesn’t think about that day often, or even remembered much of the events from that night. But reports from that day show the mob trashed the house and burned the family’s belongings.
Gage Yager is the CEO of Trinity Habitat for Humanity and has known Opal Lee for almost 30 years. Coincidentally, she’d even served on the organization’s founding board. Yager said he’s in awe of tireless efforts on behalf of others, even at age 97.
“She leads with compassion and energy,” Yager said. “I call her the Energizer Bunny because she never stops moving and never stops with action.”
Yager said Lee’s ability to persevere despite difficult obstacles may have been borne out of the terrible experience that June 19th more than 80 years ago.
“To her parents credit, they didn’t talk about it,” Yager said. “They pushed past it, apparently, and just worked to overcome the obstacle.”
Yager has been with Habitat for Humanity for more than a quarter century, leading their stated mission of helping build communities through affordable housing. To meet the constant demand, the organization is always buying and developing new pieces of property. That’s how they ended up owning a vacant lot, located in Fort Worth on 940 East Annie Street.
That purchase led to an interesting phone call.
“You know, it pulls up on my phone, I say, Hey Opal, how are you doing?,” Yager said. “And she’s like, 'you guys own my lot at 940 East Annie.' She’s like, ‘Gage, can I buy that lot from you?’ And I say, ‘You know Opal, we’re not going to sell you that lot. But we’ll give you that lot.’”
But Habitat’s plans didn’t end there. Instead of just giving Opal Lee back the land her family once owned before a racist mob took it from them, they went a step further, offering to build her a new home there, as well.
“I could have done a holy dance, I tell you,” Lee said. “That was really, oh boy!”
The organization is already hard at work, drawing up plans for a build with extra special significance. Community donations are providing the funding and volunteers will provide the labor. And perhaps it’s no surprise that Opal Lee will be providing the inspiration.
So in early September, Opal Lee and Trinity Habitat for Humanity gathered with some of Lee’s closest friends to celebrate her birthday and to break ground on a brand-new home at 940 East Annie Street.
Fundraising and construction may take a while, but that sunny autumn day was a moment to enjoy the goodness of the future, while not forgetting the horrors of the past. It was a full circle moment, with Lee set to return to the land she once called home, with some help from the organization she helped launch.
“We’re there to partner with a friend to build a home and in a little way erase a big negative from all those years ago,” Yager said, getting emotional. “How can it not be, with all the hate and violence that’s been out there … to play a small part in a bigger story and hopefully a narrative that’s going in a good direction.”
PHOTOS: Habitat For Humanity gifts Opal Lee back her childhood home she was forced out of 80 years ago
Lee Friday shared some of her best memories living on Annie Street.
"How nice and clean my mother had it," Lee said. "And she was cooking something, and I don't know what it was, but it smelled so good."
HistoryMaker Homes managed the construction of the house. The company's CEO Nelson Mitchell invited Lee to their design center where she selected all of the flooring, fixtures and lighting for her home. Lee’s nonprofit, Citizens Concerned with Human Dignity, received a grant from Texas Capital to furnish the home.
Since her new house is fully furnished, the move-in day for her is easy.
"I had said long ago when I left the house, the only thing I was bringing over here was my toothbrush," Lee said.
One of Mitchell's most cherished moments was being able to officially hand over the house keys to Ms. Opal.
"The opportunity to build Dr. Lee's home, one of our nation's most important civil rights leaders, and it's our 75th anniversary as an organization. We were we jumped at the chance to do that," Nelson Mitchell said.
There are neighbors like Felisa Amos who welcome Lee back to the neighborhood, 85 years after she was forced out.
Amos said she hopes that Lee remembers her from many years ago. They worked side-by-side with each other on several Habitat for Humanity homes for other families. Amos shared that even back then, Lee was a force to be reckoned with when it came to helping people obtain home ownership.
"She's been out there fighting for the community, fighting to pass Juneteenth, during the march, doing the walk. She has done a lot going to the White House, and that's something I would like to do one day," Amos said. "It's good that she's over here. And that way we could probably communicate and put our heads together, do a little gathering for her."
If you’d like to learn more or contribute to fundraising efforts for Opal Lee’s new home, visit https://cchddfw.org/.
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