Mia Monet

Louisiana State Police Superintendent announces his retirement.

Juneteenth became a national holiday because 10 years ago Ms. Opal Lee started the movement. She is known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth”. In 2016 she set out to walk 1,400 miles from Texas to Washington, D.C. to make it happen.

It was the fall semester of my freshman year at Tuskegee University. Word spread that her route would come through campus. I’ll never forget standing at the gate with so many others, cheering her on as she passed through.

Thank you, Ms. Opal, for your boldness and determination. Because of you, the nation understands why June 19th matters.