DALLAS — Juneteenth icon Opal Lee, of Fort Worth, received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from SMU at the university’s May 11 commencement ceremony.
This is her eighth honorary degree.
“Having Ms. Lee join us at commencement and share her work through a symposium is a signal honor for our University,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. “Her life’s work is most deserving of this recognition, and she will inspire our students.”
SMU also hosted a symposium focused on Lee’s achievements. Lee participated alongside her granddaughter Dione Sims, founding executive director of the National Juneteenth Museum. The symposium is free with reservations.
Her SMU honorary doctorate comes after she recently was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President Biden.
Lee is best known for her decades-long campaign to establish Juneteenth as a national holiday, a dream that was realized in 2021, when President Joe Biden officially designated the holiday.
Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery after the Civil War, recognizing the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas two years after it was issued. Juneteenth is celebrated annually on June 19.
Here was Lee's description on the list of award recipients released by the White House:
Opal Lee is an educator and activist known for her efforts to make Juneteenth a federally recognized holiday. More than 150 years after that day in Texas, she joined President Biden to officially make Juneteenth a national holiday in 2021.
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