Opal Lee Visits Cook Children's Medical Center - Fort Worth

On Tuesday, Opal Lee, known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth, visited Cook Children’s Medical Center – Fort Worth with her granddaughter, Dione Sims, to educate health care professionals on the importance of Juneteenth and its impact on children.

Anu Partap, M.D., M.P.H., Medical Director of Health Equity Integration at Cook Children’s, hosted Lee, alongside Sims, to educate and inform physicians on education, health and resilience in childhood during Pediatric Grand Rounds.

“She is a poster child for unity, strength, resilience and for overcoming childhood adversity and trauma. To such a degree, that there is no better icon,” Sims said when asked about her grandmother.

Juneteenth is a federal holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S. On June 19, 1865, Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, TX, to tell the enslaved people that they were free. Lee says Juneteenth is important because it addresses many different issues and encourages children to reach for their dreams.

“Fourth of July freed the land, Juneteenth freed the people,” Lee said.

Sims said Juneteenth is not “just a date on the calendar,” but it brings people together and gives people hope.

“The freedom that Juneteenth represents… we need children to think about greater things that help shape where they’re going and gives them the ability to think outside the box,” Sims said.

Following the conversation with Lee and Sims, Dr. Partap announced the “Every Step Counts” grant, where staff can apply to fund their idea to improve health equity.

After Pediatric Grand Rounds, Lee read the book that she wrote, Juneteenth A Children’s Story, to children and parents. Lee’s greatest piece of advice to the children and adults in the room was to help others:

“We all are our brother’s keepers, that’s what the Bible tells us," she said. "And the little ones we certainly should nurture if we don’t do anything else.”