Opal Lee, "Grandmother of Juneteenth" will not lead Walk of Freedom this year
Lee fought to get Juneteenth recognized as an official holiday. This is the first time she will not lead the walk.
She was hospitalized in May for unknown reasons. Dione Sims, Lee's granddaughter, said she will carry on her grandmother's legacy this year.
"I will lead the way, carrying on her legacy," Sims said in a statement to CBS News Texas.
Lee's annual 2.5-mile walk acknowledges the two and a half years it took for news of freedom to reach those enslaved in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865. Over the decades, the celebrations that followed became known as Juneteenth.
The annual walk stepped off for the first time in Dallas last year to big crowds and a festive atmosphere.
This year's Walk for Freedom starts at 9 a.m. Thursday at Fort Worth's Farrington Field.
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