Dear President Obama,
Here I go again, a day late and a dollar short! I stumbled upon a contest "to meet the president" and I was busy entering the contest when (1) I lost what I was writing (I have a quirky laptop) and (2) the contest was closed, so I'll write you any way.
I begin by saying how grateful I am for having met you three times in my ninety years. I’ve been to both inaugurations, have received a letter from First Lady Michelle, and I’m a part of Federated Women here in Fort Worth, TX waiting to hear back from First Lady Michelle's mother, Mrs. Robinson. That's all been pleasurable, however I want to have a real sit down heart to heart talk with you. Can that be arranged? I know you are busy as a cat on a hot tin roof, that you are working with your hands tied behind your back and I admire the herculean job you're doing.
One of the many things I want to discuss with you is why Juneteenth has not been made a national holiday on the lines of Flag Day. Did you know that 45 out of 50 states have Juneteenth as state holiday? To that end I'm planning to walk to Washington, DC to hear from you for myself the reason why. I’ve done the calculations and it’s about 1400 miles. If I can do ten miles a day it will take 21 plus weeks to get to the White House if the Lord says the same and the creeks don't rise. Only thing is, the creeks are rising in Texas right now.
I am the chair of our Juneteenth Celebration in Fort Worth and have been making sure we celebrate the freedoms we have for over 40 years. I have had Obama offices both times you ran in a building that a grandson lives in now with a big Obama sign (donated by a Republican). I'm a precinct chair and do a fair job of getting my people out to vote. I do my share of feeding the hungry. I take boxes of food from our food bank to people who are house-bound for whatever reason and cannot get to the food bank or stand in long lines. We are feeding 500 plus families per day.
A wonderful group of young people (I call anyone under ninety a young person) are part of a Board that we've formed to farm 13 acres on the Trinity River that we’ve been given permission to use. The idea is to help some of those persons who have been incarcerated and can't find jobs to become self-sufficient. Sixty-six people signed up to participate. Our role model is Paul Quinn College a denominational (AME) school where that president took the football field and the students are paid ten dollars an hour to grow produce that they share with the school cafeteria, their neighbors and the rest is sold. That's what we propose for our people at a twelve dollar an hour wage. It’s our hope that their families (children) will become a part of the equation and learn that all food doesn't come off the grocer's shelf.
There are several other things I want to talk with you about. Here's hoping I can have an audience with you when I get there this winter. I’m looking forward to seeing you again.
Sincerely,
Opal Lee
Juneteenth Chair
P.S. You could save me a lot of shoe leather and a lot of wear and tear on an old body by saying how soon you can see me so I can get all my ducks in a row (all my questions) and not waste your time