Recognizing the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans has journeyed from celebrations in 1866 to Opal Lee’s campaign to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, which she achieved in 2021. Now, a museum will bring greater acknowledgement to Juneteenth, while serving a predominantly Black community that’s been historically disenfranchised.

Lee, known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth, has operated her own museum dedicated to the notable time in American history for about two decades. She also led a walking campaign in major cities, including Atlanta, to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. She collected 1.5 million signatures along the way.

Plans for the National Juneteenth Museum will expand upon what Lee features in her museum, and it’s scheduled to break ground this fall in her hometown of Fort Worth, Texas, on her 100th birthday.

 ”In light of the fact that Miss Opal was one of the many forebearers who were responsible in large part for making Juneteenth get the national recognition that it should have gotten decades ago, we thought that it would be prudent to honor her by scaling what she already had,” said Jarred Howard, CEO of the National Juneteenth Museum.

“The reality is we think America needs to know what Juneteenth is,” Howard continued on Monday’s edition of “Closer Look with Rose Scott.” “Most Americans, even Black Americans, quite frankly, would fail to effectively articulate what Juneteenth is, why it’s significant, why it warrants celebration, and so we want to tell that story in a very compelling way.”

The creators behind the museum are working to tell the story of Juneteenth in a 50,000-square-foot cultural center that resembles the Juneteenth flag from above and neighboring homes from a street-level view. It will include immersive exhibit galleries, a business incubator, a green space, plus a theater for lectures, guest speakers, concerts, performances and more.

Howard said the museum will bring more than 200 jobs and an annual $24 million in economic impact to Fort Worth’s historic Southside neighborhood. But he also wants the multi-use space to meet some of the community’s other needs. Howard says between the 1950’s and 1970’s, local government designed infrastructure to neglect and avoid investing in the 76104 zip code.

“76104 has the state of Texas’ shortest or lowest life expectancy rate. The people from this neighborhood generally live about twelve years below the national average,” Howard said. “The irony there is this community is about a mile away from the medical district in the city of Fort Worth. And so, that speaks to when you talk about the social determinants of health, social determinants of wealth, this community is at the lower rung in all of those instances.”

To address food insecurity on the city’s southside, Howard said the museum campus will also house a food hall featuring the culturally diverse cuisine of local chefs.

While the cost of building the museum has grown to $70 million in the current economy, Howard hopes to open the museum by late 2028 or early 2029 with free admission. In the meantime, while design plans are finalized, Howard said they’re collecting artifacts from the public and raising funds to cover the cost of the museum.