Harriet Tubman: The Journey to Freedom Farewell Event

The “Grandmother of Juneteenth” Opal Lee will visit Bastrop this Saturday, Aug. 31 to attend and speak at the Harriet Tubman: The Journey to Freedom farewell event. The traveling 9-foot monument celebrates Tubman’s heroic journey to rescue enslaved people in the 1800s. Saturday will be the monument’s last day in Texas.

 

Bastrop is thrilled to bring Fort Worth legend Opal Lee to town for the closing ceremony; the inspiring activist was instrumental in making Juneteenth a federal holiday, earning her the nickname The Grandmother of Juneteenth. This year, President Biden awarded Opal with the President Medal of Freedom, the Nation’s highest civilian honor.

 

Opal is scheduled to speak at 5:30 p.m. at the Kerr Community Center, where the sculpture has been on display since June. This is particularly moving, as Kerr Community Center was a gathering spot for the African-American community of Bastrop during the time of racial segregation in the United States. The hall celebrates its 110th year in 2024.