HomeMy Public PortalAboutTOL MA 2020-09-23 Opal Lee Welcome
Town of Leesburg
Media Advisory
For Thursday, September 23, 2020
Media Contact:
Leah Kosin, Assistant Public Information Officer
lkosin@leesburgva.gov 703-771-2781
Town of Leesburg to Host “Grandmother of Juneteenth” Opal
Lee
Leesburg, VA (September 23, 2020) – Please join Leesburg Mayor Kelly Burk and Town Council
members as they welcome Opal Lee to the Town of Leesburg.
WHAT: Opal Lee Welcoming
WHEN: Thursday, September 24, 2020
1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Town Green
25 W Market Street
Leesburg, VA 20176
National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF) member Opal Lee will visit Loudoun County
after delivering 1.5 million Juneteenth Holiday petition signatures to Congress. Juneteenth
legislation is at a historic point in the journey for Federal recognition for the end of slavery in this
nation. The Commonwealth of Virginia is one of the most recent states to proclaim June 1 9 has
a holiday. To learn more, visit www.njof.org.
About the NJOF
NJOF is a national foundation, including hundreds of local organizations, that have been
instrumental in the passage of Juneteenth Independence Day legislation. The NJOF advances the
right of freedom through its initiatives including education, health, music, art, and technology
creating opportunities for a better life for all. By focusing on these key building blocks the NJOF
movement creates long- lasting community change. The NJOF is a call to action for everyone to
become a part of the change.
About Opal’s Journey
Opal is the oldest living board member of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation
(NJOF) that was founded and led by the late Dr. Ronald Myers, Sr., whose initiative helped 43
states establish Juneteenth days of observance. To bring awareness to the cause, she started
her Opal’s Walks 2 DC campaign in 2016, where she walks 2.5 miles to symbolize the 2.5 years
that it took enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation to reach Texas and free the slaves.
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