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A review by juniper_reads_things
Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth by Alice Faye Duncan, Keturah A. Bobo
informative
5.0
Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free is the picture book I decided to read for Juneteenth this year. It tells the story of a local Juneteenth celebration, featuring Grandmother Opal Lee and her great-grandson Buddy. Grandmother Opal gathers the children around her to tell the origin story of Juneteenth. She describes the story from 1865, of the Union soldiers who liberated Galveston, Texas which was the last town holding enslaved populations. “Remember my words for safekeeping. Remember what I say. Juneteenth is bigger than Texas, singing, or dancing bands. Juneteenth is freedom rising. And freedom is for everyone.”
I expected the story to end there, but then Buddy asks Opal Lee what Juneteenth was like when she was a kid. Opal Lee grew up during Jim Crow laws, under the threat of the KKK. On Juneteenth, 1939, Opal Lee’s home was burned by racists. There were no arrests.
“And yet the embers burn - that fire still lives in me. I learned a big lesson that Juneteenth day. Freedom is a gold coin. Struggle makes it shine.”
I really enjoyed the story. Upon reading the author’s note, I learned that Opal Lee was a real person! She advocated for the importance of Juneteenth, and collected signatures for a petition to make it a federal holiday. That’s incredible! I didn’t know the story of how Juneteenth became a national holiday. Like many people across the US, I hadn’t really known about Juneteenth until it became a national holiday. I’m so glad to have read this book, because now I know.
I expected the story to end there, but then Buddy asks Opal Lee what Juneteenth was like when she was a kid. Opal Lee grew up during Jim Crow laws, under the threat of the KKK. On Juneteenth, 1939, Opal Lee’s home was burned by racists. There were no arrests.
“And yet the embers burn - that fire still lives in me. I learned a big lesson that Juneteenth day. Freedom is a gold coin. Struggle makes it shine.”
I really enjoyed the story. Upon reading the author’s note, I learned that Opal Lee was a real person! She advocated for the importance of Juneteenth, and collected signatures for a petition to make it a federal holiday. That’s incredible! I didn’t know the story of how Juneteenth became a national holiday. Like many people across the US, I hadn’t really known about Juneteenth until it became a national holiday. I’m so glad to have read this book, because now I know.