SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 19
         WHEREAS, Ms. Opal Lee of Fort Worth joined the president at
  the White House on June 17, 2021, to witness the signing of
  legislation designating Juneteenth as a federal holiday, the
  culmination of her many years of advocacy; and
         WHEREAS, Known as "the grandmother of Juneteenth," Ms. Lee
  began celebrating the June 19 holiday as a girl in Marshall; her
  family later moved to Fort Worth, where on June 19, 1939, a mob of
  500 white supremacists burned down her family's new home; rising
  above oppression, she embarked on a career in education and became
  a tireless champion for civil rights, cultural heritage,
  affordable housing, and food security; in retirement, she took on
  leadership of a food bank, which now serves some 500 families a day
  and grows healthy produce at an urban farm named in her honor; and
         WHEREAS, Ms. Lee has organized the Juneteenth event in
  Fort Worth for decades, and she dreamed of making the observance
  that started in Texas a national celebration of freedom and
  unity; in 2016, at the age of 89, she launched a campaign to
  heighten awareness across the country, walking for 2.5-mile
  stretches in different cities to symbolize the 2.5-year delay in
  enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas; along the way,
  she spoke to the media and numerous groups about the meaning of
  Juneteenth and gathered 1.5 million signatures on a petition that
  she delivered to the U.S. Congress; finally, with passage of the
  Juneteenth legislation commemorating the end of slavery in the
  United States, the nation gained its first new holiday since
  Martin Luther King Jr. Day was signed into law in 1983; and
         WHEREAS, Long admired for her outstanding contributions to
  the local community, Ms. Opal Lee has now made an enduring impact
  at the national level, and her steadfast dedication to a vision
  of liberty and justice is a source of tremendous inspiration to
  all; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 87th
  Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby congratulate Ms. Opal
  Lee on the designation of Juneteenth as a national holiday and
  extend to her sincere best wishes for continued success in all
  her endeavors; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be
  prepared for Ms. Lee as an expression of high regard from the
  Texas Senate.
 
  Powell, Lucio
 
 
Alvarado Hancock Nichols
 
Bettencourt Hinojosa Paxton
 
Birdwell Huffman Perry
 
Blanco Hughes Schwertner
 
Buckingham Johnson Seliger
 
Campbell Kolkhorst Springer
 
Creighton Menéndez Taylor
 
Eckhardt Miles West
 
Gutierrez Nelson Whitmire
 
Hall Zaffirini
 
  Patrick, President of the Senate
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        President of the Senate
     
        I hereby certify that the
    above Resolution was adopted by
    the Senate on July 22, 2021.
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        Secretary of the Senate
   
   
    ________________________________ 
         Member, Texas Senate
   
   
    ________________________________ 
         Member, Texas Senate