good afternoon welcome to the Piscataway Public Library my name is Heidi Kramer I'm the director of the library it is my great privilege and honor to welcome you to our juneth program welcoming Dr opal Lee I'm so pleased that mayor Brian Waller is with us this afternoon so he has some remarks before we welcome Joy Robinson to the program good afternoon everyone I I just want to make some announce some of the officials that are here we have our council president Gabrielle Cahill who's in the back uh standing next to her is councilman Dennis Espinosa and then also councilman Sharon carmichel and I see the former mayor of planfield Sharon Robinson's in the house uh I acknowledge Lyn Hartman from the bo Library Board of Trustees where are you Lyn I know you're here in the front row and then also Kim Lane on the library Board of Trustees uh thank you everybody for coming out today uh I want to also thank the middle County Commissioners for sponsoring this event as well as the naac branch of the matachin Edison and Piscataway branch is right there we have to get that in there so actually Piscataway believe it or not are is represented by three branches of the nwcp I guess uh they still haven't figured out who's really going to represent us right regie uh I want to thank Dr Lee for coming out of her busy schedule to come to our great Township I was had an opportunity to speak with her for a few minutes uh before the program telling her a little bit about the history of our our town uh and then I asked her I said what did did it feel like when you at the White House signing for then when the president was signing your signature I said what were you really feeling inside her and you know what she said she felt like [Applause] twerking well Dr Lee if you didn't twerk in the white house you can twerk here at the Piscataway Library we want to see that right T Le I I I I was laughing hysterically when she said that so Dr Lee thank you uh for your busy schedule and your family members are coming up here and enriching lives of many of the citizens of middle sex County and also piscat Township you're always welcome back and yes you can twerk anytime here SC I'm going to turn the mic over [Applause] here good afternoon thank you for coming out um I always forget to do this and Heidi did already introduce me but I'm so I'm practicing it's uh my name is Joy Robinson I'm a librarian here at pescato public library and I want to welcome you all to a conversation with Dr Lee um piscatway Public Library is proud to partner with the NAACP of matachin Edison and piscatway area Branch um and to welcome Dr Lee to the Piscataway Community this program as the mayor already said is funded by a grant uh provided by the board of middle sex County Commissioners and the middle sex County division of arts and history just want to make sure we get that shout out more than once okay because we are so grateful for them to uh get this uh auspicious occasion here um for those of you who don't know the history uh the story of how juneth became a Federal holiday I happy to tell you that it is thanks in large part to the courage and Ingenuity of the Phenomenal Woman I was going to say you see on the stage but she's not on stage yet so to the Phenomenal Woman you can barely see yet but she'll be on the stage in a minute um in 2016 at 89 years old Dr Lee began the opel's walk campaign and a bid to call attention to the fact that juneth was not yet a Federal holiday Dr Lee began the movement that thousands of others took up walking from Fort Worth Texas to Washington DC some 1,400 miles it's an it's an ironic reversal of the time and distance it took for the message of Freedom the Emancipation Proclamation to reach Texas the westernmost state in the Confederacy from Washington DC on January 1 1863 President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation but the message did not reach more than the more than 250,000 and enslaved people in Texas until more than 2 years later when on June 19th 1865 2,000 Union troops arrived at galvaston Bay Texas and announced that they were free by federal decree similarly some 5 years after opel's walk campaign began Washington DC got the message and the current Joe Biden kamla Harris Administration issued a proclamation that juneth would become a Federal holiday on June 17th 2021 uh I at this point I was going to introduce Michelle hey oh there you are okay it is my great honor and privilege to introduce um community outreach coordinator for the NAACP of matachin Edison and Piscataway Branch um Michelle Haynes who will introduce Dr opal Le thank you wow good afternoon everyone and thank you all so much for coming out today to to celebrate to honor to uplift and I think most importantly to thank Dr opal Lee for all that she has done for African-Americans here in the United States and I'm pretty sure abroad right Dr Lee's reach is not just in the US borders um you know Joy touched on her making that Trek at the age of 89 I told my daughter I said you now have no excuse when you say you're too tired in the morning and it's also good to remind our young people as well that what you believe in what you hope for what you dream for can become a reality if you persevere if you try if you're passionate about what you do and those are all things that Dr opal Lee is um again thank you all for coming today the NAACP matachin Edison Piscataway Branch let's clap for that the NAACP maach n Piscataway Branch uh is led by some tireless folks um I would like to introduce any of the executive team that's here I know I see most of you here yes okay so it's our president Reginal Johnson Roberto seers is Our member at large Devon Pender is our youth coordinator and there are a few others who were not here today because we have been celebrating Dr Lee all weekend long if you haven't been following us on Facebook primarily where we're at so Facebook at n a a CP m e a b follow us of Dr Lee arrived to New Jersey Friday and she has been moving ever since so we had our freedom fun Gayla on Friday even which was fantastic there was a welcome lunch here at the East Jersey Old Village so it was piscatway that welcomed Dr Lee to New Jersey okay yesterday was our freedom fund uh excuse me our uh Freedom Day celebration where we celebrated juneth um in various ways as our children's area and doct Lee definitively address the crowd who was just left in awe and standing on their feet um she needed like hardcore security to get through the crowds and of course today we had to bring it back to Piscataway um for what I'm going to dub as a a very interesting meaningful conversation um our inaugural Dr opal Lee youth scholar anadia Haynes is a former Piscataway public school student she's an aspiring professional dancer she dances with Eastside Dance Project they're out of North planfield and she's also little good with the academics as well uh she's an honors student she's received the New Jersey Governor's award in arts education and a few citations from Mayors such as mayor of peran booy um and a congressional letter of note from congressman palone so I'm going to have anadia Haynes come up and the conversation is between Dr opal and our 18-year-old student what could these two possibly have in common what can they really talk about and more importantly what can we glean what can we learn through their conversation okay anadia if you come up and and thank you again for coming hi everyone um good evening my name is enadia Haynes I am proud to honor and welcome Dr opal to this event um we are here to celebrate the efforts of a woman who is known for perseverance Justice and freedom Dr opal often referred to as the grandmother of the Jun teth movement and a 2024 presidential medal of freedom winner has dedicated her life to ensuring that the significance of June 19th 1865 is recognized and celebrated across our nation I'm excited to hear from Dr op herself um about her work her challenges that she's faced the victories that she has won and her vision for the future Dr opul story is one of Courage hope and inspiration so will everyone please stand and help me recognize and welcome the remarkable Dr opal Le all right um starting off with question number one Dr Lee can you share a pivotal moment from your childhood that has shaped your passion for activism I didn't even know what white people look like there was the lb price man that came around in his car selling cookwar and clothing and all kinds of things he didn't look quite to me so and then there was moranto store that was close to the college Whiley University now and they didn't look white so I never saw white people or interacted with them until I moved to Fort Worth and my parents moved there in 1939 they bought a home um 9:40 East Annie Street and my mom had it fixed up so nice 19th of June but some 500 people gathered the paper said and the police were there and my dad came with a gun from work and the police told him if he busted a cap they would let the mob have us our parents sent us to friends several blocks away and they left left under the cover of Darkness those people drug the furniture out and burned it they did Despicable things but our parents never ever disgusted with us never ever so I guess I buried it really deep until somebody when I'm close to 100 years old ask me about it and so it's been public knowledge what else am I supposed to um who were Your Role Models growing up and how did that influence your past I I I ended up finishing high school at 16 but there was a vice principal her name was um hazel Harvey peace tiny little lady uh I don't think she weighed 100 lb dripping wet but she was the um dean of girls at IM am teral high school and besides Miss peace uh my mom and my grandparents wow my my grandfather was short stocky and when he spoke you thought you were listening to EF hudon or somebody everybody did what grandpa said there was no b no doubt about it and of course when my Mom married and moved away to Marshall my mother was the one that you listen to you had to listen if you wanted to survive and what was one of the biggest obstacles you faced in your fight for jun's recognition and how did you overcome it I'm not so sure I'm not so sure that I had the obstacles I am [Music] we friends gathered at Baker Chapel African Methodist Episcopal church and they gave me this big send off and I started walking 1,400 miles from Fort Worth to Washington DC I don't remember a single person being negative now I tried to give a gentleman a flyer and he brushed me off and I figured he was late to work and he didn't have time to F other than that didn't have any off St okay um what advice would you give to young people today who want to make a difference in their Community I'd ask them not just the one PE young people but everybody in this audience to make yourself a committee of one to change somebody's mind you know people who aren't on the same page you are on change their minds not going to happen in a day you're going to have to work at it but if people have been taught to hate they can be taught to love and it's your responsibility how do you envision the future of juneth celebrations across the country oh already we are seeing so many other states and and all around the nation not just ours around the world people are celebrating juneth and I'm wanting them to know that it's not just a festival that it means freedom not just for black people not just for people in Texas but for all people freedom and we aren't free yet we've made some strides and I mean some great strides but we've got a long way to go we've got disparities the homelessness the joblessness health care that some people can get and others can't and climate change that we're responsible for and I tell you if we don't do something about climate change we all going to hell in a hand basket [Applause] can you share a memorable moment from your journey that always brings a smile to your face yeah uh I was all over the United States I left for worth I went to Arlington Grand Prairie Dallas box springs I went to Texana Little Rock if I tell you you I was all over the place I was and there were people who joined me and do you know there was not a single incident that was one I offered a gentleman a flyer and he brushed me aside I figured he was laid to work and he didn't want to be bother that's all what are your hopes and dreams for the Next Generation of activists and change makers I'm warning have I not said I want you to make yourself a committee of one haven't I told you that that's it I want you to work at it what qualities do you think are essential for effective leadership in social justice movements determination steadfastness if you believe in something passionately that's going to help you your family your community and I mean the larger Community don't give up on it you may may have setbacks people may think you're crazy they thought I was but if it's worthwhile it's worth fighting for so for heaven's sakes don't give up on what you start as a young woman what specific advice would you give to other young women who Inspire to be leaders and change makers education education education education you can do a lot of things once you get an education I don't want you to do like I did I finished high school at 16 and my mom was was going to send me back to Marshall to Wy it's a university now but I got married she was so disappointed she wouldn't even go to the wedding at Baker Chapel a me church and it took me four years and four babies to realize I was going to have to raise my husband [Applause] [Applause] too I cut I I I cut my losses and had nerve enough to go home to my mother and say I'm ready to go to college now she says I got no money to send you to nobody's college she says I'll keep your children I worked I worked like a troan to get the money to go to Wy and guess what I did I spent it I bought the children a television so she wouldn't have to run all over the neighborhood looking for them I went to Wy without a DME they put me to work in the College Bookstore now I didn't quit the job in for work CU I didn't know what was going to happen she kept it during the week I'd come back and work the weekend she'd collect the check the work got done nobody noticed it and I couldn't stay Whiley four years I was through and three and a half I got back to Fort Worth and got a job teaching that paid $2,000 a year I couldn't feed four children on $2,000 a year I got another job if I was at school from 8: to 3 there'd be a car waiting for me and from 4: to 12 I worked at lockeed Martin I'd still be there but they laid people off from time to time looking back at your life's work is there anything you wish you had done differently yeah I think I would have waited to have children but they they are beautiful people h of three sons and a daughter now my daughter getting her through college took a little doing but when her daughter got a degree from um I think it was TS one of the colleges and her daughter went on to Howard I think then she finished with two cotton P two cotton picking degrees and and all three of my sons were in service they all came home except they were in Vietnam and and the youngest I think got into Agent Orange He was paralyzed before he passed away but children my daughter has a daughter who is the let's see judge of the nor nor District of Texas oh and and and that daughter has twin sons and one of them um just finished Harvard and and he's working in the World Trade Center now the other child is an autistic child big old fell looks like a Suma rustling and we to love him to death you know spoiled to right that's actually all the questions I have for you I really appreciate you being here and sitting down with me today it's really an honor I I've enjoyed it so much I tell you if I didn't have work to do at home I'd come back here and stay with y'all but I do want you to know that you can change the situation we have now I know I've said it already but I'm going repeated we have too much too many homeless people too many jobless people too many people who don't have health care and we can do something about it we are the richest country in the world and other countries will follow our example and there's no reason for us not to be one people I'm looking forward to the day when we are all Americans not African Americans or Jewish Americans or white Americans or Italian Americans We Are All One people and let's act like [Music] it thank you Dr Lee thank you anadia let's give them both another round of applause