john francis
This story and its sister story, which ran in the May/June issue of Cosmopolitan, are part of
Project Tell Me, which records the wisdom and life experiences of Black Americans ages 75 and older by connecting them with a new generation of Black journalists. The complete interview series will run across Hearst Magazines, Newspapers, and Television websites starting Juneteenth 2021.
Go to for more info.
Opal Lee is a community activist from Fort Worth, Texas, who has been campaigning to make Juneteenth a national holiday since 2016.
Mariah Campbell is a rising senior studying journalism at Texas Southern University.
Mariah Campbell: What were your dreams for the future when you were a child?