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'Grandmother of Juneteenth' celebrates freedom, 2.5 miles at a time

NPR | By Erika Ryan,

Sarah Handel

Published June 19, 2026 at 4:50 PM CDT

Opal Lee is known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talked with her in 2024 about her activism, and her hopes for the future.

Erika Ryan

Erika Ryan is a producer for All Things Considered. She joined NPR after spending 4 years at CNN, where she worked for various shows and CNN.com in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. Ryan began her career in journalism as a print reporter covering arts and culture. She's a graduate of the University of South Carolina, and currently lives in Washington, D.C., with her dog, Millie.

Sarah Handel