First Freedom: The Story of Opal Lee and Juneteenth

Activist Opal Lee, known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth, gets an uplifting graphic biography from journalist Roché, with art by Alvin Epps (I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005), Millicent Monroe, and Bex Glendining (On Starlit Shores). The account opens in 2021, when Juneteenth is given federal recognition and Granddear (as Lee insists everyone calls her) prepares for a White House visit with President Biden. Lee reflects back on her upbringing in a segregated Texas, and the ways her family were victimized by the surrounding white community. Woven throughout is a historical account of Juneteenth, from the events of 1865 when enslaved people in Texas belatedly learned slavery had been abolished, documented with ample quotes from contemporaneous sources. Subsequent civil rights milestones covered include Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. Lee’s lifelong advocacy culminates in her symbolic 1,400-mile walk from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., in 2016, taken in two-and-a-half-mile increments twice a day to symbolize the two and a half years Texans were kept enslaved after the Emancipation Proclamation (a Union Army major had to be sent to enforce the law). Capable full-color art follows a straightforward template but adds charm and wonder to the educational tone, and Lee’s passionate, distinctive voice is well represented. This shines an overdue spotlight on a modern-day hero. (Feb.)