"As a lifelong educator, I know that what we teach today shapes tomorrow. So if people can be taught to hate, they can be taught to love." 

For Opal Lee, the woman affectionately known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” those words have guided a lifetime dedicated to education, community service, and preserving history.

Born in Marshall, Texas, in 1926, Lee spent decades as a teacher and counselor, believing that education could help people better understand both the past and one another. Long before Juneteenth became a federal holiday, she was working to ensure that its history would not be forgotten.

Her commitment was shaped in part by a painful childhood memory. In 1939, when Lee was 12 years old, a mob burned down her family’s home in Fort Worth, Texas, on Juneteenth. Yet rather than allowing that experience to define her future, she devoted her life to education, service, and preserving an important chapter of American history.

Years later, Lee became one of the most recognizable figures associated with Juneteenth. At age 89, she began a symbolic walk from Fort Worth to Washington, DC, building on annual 2.5-mile walks that represented the two-and-a-half years between the Emancipation Proclamation and the arrival of emancipation news in Galveston, Texas.

Every Juneteenth, history is carried not only in museums and archives, but also in family recipes, neighborhood parades, church gatherings, and stories shared across generations. Lee's story is one example of how individuals and communities have helped preserve the meaning of the holiday for more than 160 years.

How a Historic Moment Became a Lasting Tradition

On June 19, 1865, an estimated 250,000 enslaved people in Texas learned they were free when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and issued General Order No. 3.

That moment would eventually become known as Juneteenth, a commemoration of freedom, remembrance, and community that continues to be observed across the United States today.

Across the United States, communities come together each year on June 19 to mark Juneteenth, the day when news of emancipation reached enslaved people in Galveston, Texas — more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

While Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, communities have celebrated the occasion for more than 150 years through gatherings rooted in remembrance, culture, and community.

Community Traditions That Connect Generations

Long before Juneteenth received national recognition, communities across Texas and other parts of the United States gathered to celebrate the occasion through festivals, picnics, music, prayer services, and family reunions.

These gatherings offered opportunities for families and neighbors to come together, reflect on the past, and strengthen community bonds. Many of those traditions continue today, creating spaces where history is remembered not only through formal ceremonies but through personal connections and shared experiences.

Food often plays a central role in these celebrations. In many communities, red-colored foods and beverages are part of Juneteenth observances, reflecting traditions that have been carried forward across generations. Whether served at a community festival or a family barbecue, these meals help connect people with the holiday's history and cultural significance.

For many families, Juneteenth is also an opportunity to share stories that may not appear in textbooks. Conversations between grandparents, parents, and children help preserve memories and family histories, ensuring that important experiences are remembered and understood by younger generations.

While traditions may differ from one community to another, the purpose remains much the same: bringing people together to remember the past while creating new memories for the future.

How Culture Helps Preserve History

History is often remembered not only through dates and documents, but through the stories, music, art, and traditions that bring the past to life.

Throughout the country, artists, writers, musicians, and community organizations continue to explore Juneteenth through creative expression. Exhibitions, performances, literary events, and cultural festivals offer opportunities for people of all ages to engage with the holiday in meaningful ways.

Preserving these stories helps ensure that future generations understand not only the historical events behind Juneteenth, but also the experiences, traditions, and community memories that have shaped the holiday over time. Oral histories and personal accounts help provide context that extends beyond historical timelines, allowing people to connect with the experiences and perspectives of earlier generations.

These stories often reveal how communities celebrated Juneteenth long before it was widely recognized outside the places where the tradition first took root. They capture family memories, local customs, and moments of joy that have helped shape the holiday's enduring significance.

Growing public awareness suggests that these efforts are reaching wider audiences. Gallup found that 59% of US adults said they knew "a lot" or "some" about Juneteenth in 2024, compared with 37% in 2021.

As interest continues to grow, cultural traditions remain an important bridge between the past and present, helping communities preserve history in ways that feel personal, accessible, and lasting.

Museums and Education Are Expanding Access to Juneteenth History

Alongside community celebrations, educational institutions are playing an increasingly important role in preserving and sharing Juneteenth history.

Schools, libraries, museums, and historical organizations across the United States have expanded programs that explore the holiday's origins and significance. Through exhibits, public events, archival collections, and educational resources, these institutions provide historical context while making information accessible to wider audiences.

Museums dedicated to African American history have become important spaces for preserving artifacts, photographs, documents, and personal stories connected to emancipation and the years that followed. Historic sites and archives similarly help ensure that records from this period remain available for future generations.

New institutions are also contributing to these efforts. The National Juneteenth Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, is among a growing number of organizations focused on documenting and sharing the history of Juneteenth while highlighting the traditions that have shaped the holiday over time.

Growing recognition has created new opportunities for schools, museums, and community organizations to engage wider audiences with the history behind the holiday.

Together, educators, historians, museums, and community organizations form a network dedicated to preserving an important chapter of American history and ensuring that its stories remain accessible to future generations.

Keeping the Story Alive

More than 160 years after the events that inspired Juneteenth, the holiday continues to be carried forward by the people who choose to remember it. In many ways, that is the legacy Lee helped champion: not simply the recognition of a day, but the preservation of the stories behind it.

And as long as they are shared, Juneteenth will remain more than a date on the calendar — it will remain a living tradition passed from one generation to the next.