1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:03,360 Speaker 1: Oh Man. Imagine you're just a kid when an angry 2 00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:06,520 Speaker 1: mob vandalizes your brand new house and burns it to 3 00:00:06,559 --> 00:00:10,600 Speaker 1: the ground. Your family barely escapes with their lives. Now, 4 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:14,160 Speaker 1: eighty five years later, after a lifetime of public service, 5 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:17,520 Speaker 1: you move back to that same piece of land where 6 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:20,600 Speaker 1: another brand new home has been built as a gift 7 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:24,720 Speaker 1: to you. I'm Patti Steele, the amazing full circle life 8 00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:29,200 Speaker 1: story of the grandmother of America's second Independence Day June tenth. 9 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:36,600 Speaker 1: That's next on the back story. The backstory is back. 10 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:41,280 Speaker 1: Born in nineteen twenty six, ople Lee grew up in Texas. 11 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:44,040 Speaker 1: Her parents worked hard to give their kids a good 12 00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:47,680 Speaker 1: education and a comfortable home, but it was a difficult 13 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:51,440 Speaker 1: time in a difficult place for a black family. Opal 14 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:55,600 Speaker 1: now ninety seven, struggles to remember all the details, But 15 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:58,720 Speaker 1: when she was twelve years old, her parents bought a 16 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:02,040 Speaker 1: new house on a corner lot in Fort Worth. Now. 17 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:04,840 Speaker 1: The problem is they were moving into a neighborhood that 18 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 1: was one hundred percent white until their arrival. It was 19 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 1: June nineteenth, nineteen thirty nine. Ironically June teenth, the anniversary 20 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:18,640 Speaker 1: of the day in eighteen sixty five that federal troops 21 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:22,000 Speaker 1: arrived to finally tell slaves in Texas that they had 22 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:25,399 Speaker 1: been freed by the Emancipation Proclamation two and a half 23 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 1: years earlier. What Opel does remember from that evening is 24 00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:33,679 Speaker 1: the fear her family felt as a mob, angered that 25 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:37,280 Speaker 1: a black family had moved in started to gather outside 26 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 1: their new home. The crowd grew and soon there were 27 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:44,639 Speaker 1: hundreds of angry people across the street from their house. 28 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:48,840 Speaker 1: Opel says, the policemen were all there, and when my 29 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 1: dad came home from work with a gun to protect us, 30 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 1: the police told him if he busted a cap, they 31 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:59,160 Speaker 1: would let the mob have us. Can you imagine. Worried 32 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 1: for the safety of the children, her parents sent them 33 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:05,800 Speaker 1: to a friend's house several blocks away, and then eventually, 34 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:08,959 Speaker 1: under the cover of darkness, her parents had to leave 35 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:13,600 Speaker 1: themselves to save their own lives. Newspapers from that time 36 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:18,440 Speaker 1: said the mob grew to about five hundred individuals. Imagine 37 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:21,600 Speaker 1: the terror as the mob broke windows in the house. 38 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:25,920 Speaker 1: Then they rampaged through it, dragging furniture out into the 39 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:30,400 Speaker 1: street and smashing it to bits. Finally, they burned the 40 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:33,840 Speaker 1: house to the ground. The family never returned to that 41 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:36,960 Speaker 1: house or what was left of it, and Opal says, 42 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 1: our parents never ever discussed it with us, not once. Instead, 43 00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 1: they just went to work in order to Buias another home. 44 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:49,800 Speaker 1: So I buried the whole thing for so long. But 45 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:53,519 Speaker 1: the date of the attack, June teenth, would later come 46 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:57,520 Speaker 1: to define Ople's life, and she channeled those kind of 47 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:02,000 Speaker 1: hidden emotions into activism. Opal went on to get a 48 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 1: BA in education and a master's degree in counseling. She 49 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: dedicated her life to helping people in her community. On 50 00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:12,919 Speaker 1: top of that, aware of what had happened to her 51 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:16,079 Speaker 1: family on June teenth, the nineteenth of June back in 52 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:19,360 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty nine, she was also very aware of the 53 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:23,120 Speaker 1: original June teenth, and she wanted to raise awareness about 54 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:27,680 Speaker 1: the day that commemorates black American's freedom from enslavement. So 55 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:31,880 Speaker 1: in twenty sixteen, at the age of eighty nine, she 56 00:03:31,919 --> 00:03:34,880 Speaker 1: began a walk that took her from Fort Worth, Texas, 57 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 1: fourteen hundred miles across the nation to Washington, d C. 58 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 1: As she campaigned for June teenth to become a national holiday. 59 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:48,840 Speaker 1: Along the way, she stopped in towns and cities, sharing 60 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:53,240 Speaker 1: stories of her ancestors and the difficulties they'd faced. She 61 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:56,920 Speaker 1: spoke about the importance of June teenth, insisting that the 62 00:03:56,960 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 1: fight for freedom had to be acknowledged and remembered. She 63 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:04,200 Speaker 1: was joined by supporters from all walks of life, and 64 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:08,360 Speaker 1: she got a lot of national media attention. Opal became 65 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:11,960 Speaker 1: known as the Grandmother of June teenth, and five years 66 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 1: later she was finally able to celebrate with President Biden 67 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:20,200 Speaker 1: by her side, as Congress made Juneteenth a national holiday 68 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:23,600 Speaker 1: in twenty twenty one. Now at that point she was 69 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:27,440 Speaker 1: ninety four, but she wasn't done, She says. She began 70 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:31,200 Speaker 1: thinking again about the attack on her family's home all 71 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:35,560 Speaker 1: those years ago, which had inspired her lifelong activism. She 72 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:38,640 Speaker 1: decided she wanted to try to buy the land where 73 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:42,160 Speaker 1: her home had once stood, on that tree lined corner 74 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:46,159 Speaker 1: lot in Fort Worth, Texas. It turns out the landowner 75 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:51,240 Speaker 1: was Trinity Habitat for Humanity, an organization she had helped 76 00:04:51,279 --> 00:04:54,839 Speaker 1: found years earlier. Not only did they sell her the 77 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:58,120 Speaker 1: lot for just ten dollars to make it legal, but 78 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:02,360 Speaker 1: with donations from corporation and individuals, they built her a 79 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:06,919 Speaker 1: beautiful new house and completely furnished it. She just moved 80 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:11,640 Speaker 1: in this past June sixth, Ople now ninety seven, years old, said, 81 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:14,960 Speaker 1: I was so happy I could have done a holy dance. 82 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:19,080 Speaker 1: I was awestruck everything was done. The only thing I 83 00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:22,400 Speaker 1: had to bring with me was my toothbrush. Is that 84 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:27,480 Speaker 1: the most beautiful full circle story you've ever heard? Terrorized 85 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:30,200 Speaker 1: and run out of your home which was destroyed by 86 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:33,520 Speaker 1: an angry mob as a child, only to move back 87 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:37,560 Speaker 1: to the same property eighty five years later thanks to 88 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:41,680 Speaker 1: a gift from the community. Ople Lee's life is a 89 00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:45,000 Speaker 1: testament to the impact one person can have on the 90 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:49,719 Speaker 1: world through passion and determination, and she's a great reminder 91 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:52,440 Speaker 1: that it's never too late to fight for what you 92 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:56,640 Speaker 1: believe in. Said Opel. This world should be won where 93 00:05:56,680 --> 00:06:00,279 Speaker 1: there's no strife, and I don't know how that'll happen, 94 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:03,719 Speaker 1: but I'm looking forward to being a peaceful old lady. 95 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:19,359 Speaker 1: What an angel. I hope you're enjoying the Backstory with 96 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:23,600 Speaker 1: Patty Steele. Follow or subscribe for free to get new 97 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:27,640 Speaker 1: episodes delivered automatically to you, and feel free to DM 98 00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:29,679 Speaker 1: me if you have a story you'd like me to cover. 99 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:34,720 Speaker 1: On Facebook, It's Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele. 100 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:40,280 Speaker 1: I'm Patty Steele. The backstory is a production of iHeartMedia, 101 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:44,400 Speaker 1: Premiere Networks, the Elvis Durant Group, and Steel Trap Productions. 102 00:06:44,760 --> 00:06:48,359 Speaker 1: Our producer is Doug Fraser. Our writer Jake Kushner. We 103 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:51,839 Speaker 1: have new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Feel free to 104 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:54,880 Speaker 1: reach out to me with comments and even story suggestions 105 00:06:54,920 --> 00:06:58,320 Speaker 1: on Instagram at Real Patty Steele and on Facebook at 106 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:01,200 Speaker 1: Patty Steele. Thanks for listen listening to the Backstory with 107 00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:04,719 Speaker 1: Patty Steele, the pieces of history you didn't know you 108 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:05,440 Speaker 1: needed to know.