First Freedom

Opal Lee was born in 1926 and grew up in an America divided by race, and she spent her life working against the barriers that division created. A teacher throughout her career, she has also been a community activist for decades. She took on the movement to have Juneteenth honored not simply as a holiday but as a symbol of freedom in its fullest sense, for everyone. First Freedom presents her life as an example of how the everyday fight for freedom can produce lasting change. Known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth, she says, "There is so much more to do."