The Grandmother of Juneteenth, Ms. Opal Lee was honored at home before the portrait in her honor arrives at the National Portrait Gallery. Fort Worth native Sedrick Huckaby painted the portrait of Lee depicted at a kitchen table. The portrait is replete with symbolism with many relics and connections to Ms. Lee’s past and various stories embedded within.
Opal Lee is the woman known for making the final and most significant push to make Juneteenth a holiday in the United States. Her infectious, tireless efforts garnered the support of local and national politicians and celebrities. The impact of her work has inspired work in other sectors by men and women hoping to make a lasting difference for centuries to come.
Sedrick Huckaby is a noted artist and continues to call his hometown home. Huckaby has several notable credits to his resume including the portrait of Ms. Lee but none greater than teaching former president George W. Bush the art of painting. Huckaby was thanked by the president and acknowledged globally for his gift of painting and teaching. To have Huckaby’s work featured in Fort Worth, is another crowning achievement.
Opal Lee is nowhere near the end of her work. If she tells it, she is just getting started and we’re all invited to help finish the work she started! The Grandmother of Juneteenth gave a spirited and inspiring speech to the crowd gathered inside the museum theatre. We were there and we’re glad to share coverage of newsmakers in Fort Worth with our audience.
Indomitable, Undeterred and more focused than ever!
At 94, Ms. Opal Lee was still giving it all she’s had to keep the pressure on and the awareness high that Juneteenth should be recognized as a federal holiday. Earlier this year, she ramped up her efforts once again with a plea for 3 Million signatures before the end of February, observed as Black History Month. The passing of Juneteenth as the 12th federal holiday, proved “it’s not just one little old lady in tennis shoes who wants this.” It’s time to celebrate friends, we made this happen, for Ms. Opal and for the culture! Ms. Lee will join President Biden and Vice-President Harris today as they sign the bill into law.
Last year, many blacks opted out of the annual 4th of July cookout and kickback to celebrate Juneteenth. We have to make this happen and get legislation happening under the Biden/ Harris administration to prove to the United States and the watching world just how dedicated they are to impacting social change by recognizing and making Juneteenth a national holiday. What began as a walk from Fort Worth to DC became a formal petition and is now the law of the land! Happy Juneteenth, everyone.
The addition of Juneteenth as the 12th federal holiday is bittersweet. It comes on the heels of many states banning the conversation of Critical Race Theory. How can you celebrate a holiday and ban the conversation of its causes and effects? This problematic juxtaposition makes the announcement of Juneteenth as a federal holiday more of a placation than an achievement. America has plenty of work to do but rightfully so, we pause today to honor this singular bright spot and celebrate the hard work of Ms. Opal Lee and those who supported her cause. This was not achieved alone, but only Ms. Opal Lee took the drastic steps of drawing attention not to her, but to her cause.
Nobody’s free until everybody’s free! -Fanny Lou Hamer
With the passage of voting laws that restrict voting access and privileges, the country seems to be experiencing a civil rights regression. Considering the passage of Juneteenth as a federal law, Americans have a glimmer of hope that the Biden/Harris administration may take states to task on this. As we celebrate the federal recognition of Juneteenth, we also celebrate the hard work, tenacity and wherewithal of Ms. Opal Lee to tackle what for years seemed to be an insurmountable issue.
We survived snowmageddon. It was a regular winter storm but what we didn’t know is how unprepared our electricity grid was for it. Lights were out and to make matters worse, plumbing was affected and caused flooding to homes and businesses across the state of Texas. I wasn’t able to return to a full day of work until Wednesday of this week and I felt every piece of the delay. SoulProsper Radio couldn’t update shows, I couldn’t record the SMG Report which was supposed to be in video format and we were unsure if our power would remain on.
Once we were at a consistent point of power, I got to work. Because of our week, I was in no mood to record so I did what came natural. I started writing and after hours of editing, a lost edit (it completely disappeared) and a few hours of sleep, I’m pleased to present this edition of The SMG Report. Do I hope you like it? I just hope you read it! I’ve compiled many stories and included them in this edition exclusively. These stories would normally be on our website, but I’m putting them in this edition as I try out a new format and formula for what we do at SMG. Thanks for reading and as always, send your feedback to us at: news@soulprospermedia.com. I can’t wait to hear from you! —‘Fred
This month’s edition of The SMG Report features a cover story of ShaVonne Banks-Davis and features a portion of the interview exclusive with Bishop J. Drew Sheard. We would hate to keep you waiting, so dive in to this month’s edition and be sure to send your feedback to us at: news@soulprospermedia.com.
