Opal Lee awarded honorary doctorate during Wiley College’s 150-year celebration

MARSHALL — Another honor is given to a key figure in what has become a national holiday. Opal Lee, an East Texas native and 1953 Wiley College graduate, was named the Grandmother of Juneteenth after her efforts helped the holiday become nationally recognized. According to our news partner KETK, her alma mater has now awarded her an honorary doctorate to celebrate its 150th year. “I was grateful, I really was…Wiley means a lot to me,” said Dr. Lee. Lee was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 for her activism toward making Juneteenth a federal holiday.

The new Dr. Lee was beyond excited but said she had to hold back her celebration. “Oh, I tell you, I told the kids I wanted to do a holy dance, but they say I’m twerking so I don’t try it,” said Dr. Lee. The President and CEO of Wiley College remarked that giving the Grandmother of Juneteenth this award means a lot to him. “You think about what legacy really means, to be next to Ms. Opal Lee, a woman who has given so much of herself,” said Dr. Herman J. Felton Jr. Lee left everyone with a special message: “We’re supposed to look after each other and I’m hoping people will understand that we can do no less.”