Over the past few years, Juneteenth has become more nationally recognized as a federal holiday, and that’s for good reason. While many US citizens celebrate this country’s independence from Great Britain, which became official with the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, that was not the day that all Americans became free. People who were not considered human during that time period, namely enslaved Black people, were not free. And, even after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, the last enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were not notified of their freedom until over two years later on June 19, 1865.
While Juneteenth has always been a key celebration of independence for Black Americans in Texas, more people are honoring this day across the country. And we have Opal Lee to thank for making Juneteenth more widely known and pushing it to become a federal holiday. She’s an activist, counselor, and retired teacher hailing from Texas who spent decades leading walks and petitioning for Juneteenth’s national recognition. The “Grandmother of Juneteenth” finally saw her dream become reality in 2021 when then-President Joe Biden signed a bill into law for June 19 to become a holiday.
Now, just months ahead of Opal Lee’s 100th birthday, her story is being told and celebrated in The First Freedom: The Story of Opal Lee and Juneteenth, a graphic novel by journalist and author Angélique Roché. With artwork by Alvin Epps, Bex Glendining, and Millicent Monroe, along with lettering by Alexis Bennett with Andworld Design and coloring by Damali Beatty, this gorgeous book aims to accurately preserve history for all ages.
This is critically important during a time where truths and reality are being muddled by misinformation, AI, and harmful revisionist thinking. In honor of Black History Month, The First Freedom: The Story of Opal Lee and Juneteenth will be released on February 3, and we have exclusive excerpts from panels in the book. This is pages 121-125 in the 208 page novel, and they take up back to the ’70s and ’80s as activists content with Texas Klan members who oppose the newly-minted holiday. And, we also see Opal Lee and her granddaughter meeting with some very important people.
Here’s more information about this historic graphic novel for context:
This timely and topical 208-page biography chronicles the inspirational journey and resilient determination of Dr. Opal Lee — known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth — who spent decades in pursuit of one singular cause: to officially recognize American emancipation with its own national holiday
Angélique Roché writes in the book’s preface that, “I believe it is important to note that while this book gives ample space to the conversation of Juneteenth, Ms. Opal’s impact has been and continues to reach further than just the fight for a national holiday. Even before Ms. Opal chaired a Juneteenth committee or set her sights on walking to D.C., she had time and time again made herself a ‘committee of one.’ As a daughter, sister, mother, friend, educator, advocate, and activist, she has set out to accomplish tasks big and small. Guided by family legacy and faith, she continues to challenge the limitations others would place on us from the ordinary to the extraordinary. That is the story I set out to tell, with the sincere hope that in these words, pictures, timelines, and references, I’ve been able to capture even a modicum of her spirit and an iota of the vastness of personal power her life and legacy represent.”
To hear more about Roché’s creative process and why she sought to pursue this venture, check out our interview with her. And be sure to pick up The First Freedom: The Story of Opal Lee and Juneteenth graphic novel when it becomes available on February 10.