Opal Lee‘s Walk of Freedom was delayed due to rain in Fort Worth on Friday. The walk is expected to start at 10 a.m., one hour past its original start time.
Despite the rain, supporters stood gathered with umbrellas and rain coats under the roof of the Will Rogers Memorial Center, excited for the walk to begin. Dozens of cars were lined up on West Lancaster Avenue to enter the walk’s starting location.
The 2.5-mile walk recognizes the 2.5 years it took for the news of freedom to reach the enslaved people in Texas. Lee, 99, is known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth for her efforts in getting Juneteenth recognized by Congress as a national holiday.
“It’s touching and it means a lot,” said Miss Juneteenth Morgan Alexander, 17, about seeing crowds show up for the walk in the rain.
This is a developing story and will be updated.