FORT WORTH, Texas — Opal Lee, the Fort Worth civil rights icon who petitioned for years to make Juneteenth a national holiday, has signed with the Creative Artists Agency (CAA), a top talent agency in Los Angeles, according to a report from Variety.
CAA's plans with Lee weren't clear on Wednesday, but Dione Sims, her granddaughter who helps manage her schedule, told Variety that CAA "is putting their resources to work to provide Ms. Opal the opportunities to educate the world about Juneteenth and the freedoms that were gained."
Lee, now 95, drew nationwide attention last year when she stood by President Joe Biden as he signed a bill making Juneteenth a national holiday.
Juneteenth, also known as African American Emancipation Day, is the commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States.
While Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, slaves in Texas weren't told they were free until two and half years later, on June 19, 1865.
Juneteenth was made a state holiday in Texas and 47 other states but it wasn't recognized as a federal holiday until Biden signed the bill last year.
Lee, a former schoolteacher and counselor who grew up in Fort Worth, had pushed for the last decade to make Juneteenth a national holiday. She started an online petition that garnered more than three million signatures.
In her younger years, Lee helped organize the city’s Juneteenth celebration and used it as a fundraiser for local nonprofits.
As a result of her efforts to get Juneteenth a national holiday, members of Texas' congressional delegation was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize this year.
Fort Worth's U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey called Lee a "civil rights icon" for the work she has done and focused on throughout her life.
"I have been proud to call Ms. Lee a friend and mentor for nearly my whole life and was honored to work alongside her to finally get Juneteenth made into a national holiday last year," Veasey said. "I cannot think of a better person who has constantly fought for justice, and that is why I am nominating her to receive this year's Nobel Peace Prize."
Watch our story about Lee from last year, as she worked to make Juneteenth a national holiday:
