FORT WORTH, Texas – A museum dedicated to telling the history of Juneteenth with a national scope is set to be built in Fort Worth, Texas.
The National Juneteenth Museum will be built as part of a mixed-use development, the city of Fort Worth said in a news release Tuesday.
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When President Joe Biden signed a bill into law over the summer making June 19 a federal holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the U.S., those by his side included Opal Lee, a 95-year-old Fort Worth woman who spent years rallying people to join her push to see the day get that recognition.
The city said Lee has been leading the charge for the new museum, which will be built on land that currently houses her Fort Worth Juneteenth Museum.
“To have lived long enough to see my walking and talking make an impact is one thing, but to know that a state-of-the-art museum that will house the actual pen that President Biden used to sign the bill, and many other exhibits, is coming to pass as well -- I could do my holy dance again,” Lee said.
The city says the museum will be led by a collaboration that includes activists, researchers and historians.