Friday, March 29, 2024

Opal Lee Gifted Family’s Texas Home Nearly 80 Years After Racist Mob Takeover | Video

*Civil rights activist Opal Lee was 12 years old when a racist mob forced her family out of their newly purchased home in Fort Worth while police watched. Some 80 years later, the “Grandmother of Juneteenth” now owns the historic property. 

According to WFAA, Lee received the lot at 940 East Annie Street as a gift from Habitat for Humanity, which builds affordable housing nationwide. 

Gage Yager, the CEO of Trinity Habitat for Humanity, has known Lee for 30 years. When she called and asked him if she could buy the land, Yager presented a better offer.

“You know, it pulls up on my phone, I say, ‘Hey Opal, how are you doing?,’” Yager said in an interview with WFAA. “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.’”

Lee will also receive a newly built home on the same lot courtesy of Habitat Humanity.

The community broke ground on the new home during Lee’s birthday celebration in September.

“I could have done a holy dance, I tell you. That was really, oh boy!” Lee told WFAA. 

“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.

“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,” Yager added. 

“She leads with compassion and energy,” Yager said of his longtime friend. “I call her the Energizer Bunny because she never stops moving and never stops with action.”

Hear more from Lee about this milestone moment via the YouTube clip above.

READ MORE: 10 Notable Juneteenth Celebrations Across the US | PHOTOs

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