A 97-year-old human rights activist is getting back a house after her family’s eviction in 1939. This is coming after close to 85 years of losing the property to mob action.
A history-making event happened on June 19, 1939. Opal Lee and her family were just settling into their new home at 940 East Annie Street, Fort Worth, Texas. The family moved in barely four days before, and the children were still reveling in the experience of living in such a nice neighborhood.
Unfortunately, the family did not enjoy the experience for long. Before dusk that day, the Lee family were back on the street. A 500-strong mob of locals showed up at the doorstep of the house. After evicting the family based on their Black race, the mob then proceeded to tear the house apart.
Interestingly, local newspapers from that year reported that police personnel were at the scene but did nothing to curtail the mob. That incident happened over 80 years ago, but Opal Lee remembers it like yesterday. She was 12 in 1939 and celebrated her 97th birthday this year.
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That firsthand experience of the hydra-headed menace of racism made a lifelong activist out of Lee. However, her civil rights movement does not agitate for Blacks alone.
Lee’s career as a civil rights activist has been so successful that June 19 has become a federal holiday. Juneteenth is celebrated nationwide to commemorate enslaved people’s liberation in Texas.
Recently, Lee learned that the property at 940 East Annie Street was vacant and undeveloped. So, she decided to make inquiries with the intent to buy back the lot that once was her family’s residence.
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However, a report by WFAA News indicates that the lot now belongs to Trinity Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit organization. It does not stop there; the CEO of the non-profit, Gage Yager, will give out the vacant lot to Lee for free.
Interestingly, Lee was on the founding board of Trinity Habitat for Humanity. So, Yager did not need to double-guess before returning the vacant lot to Lee. About how the non-profit came to own the vacant lot.
Trinity Habitat for Humanity is in the business of buying and developing properties. So, whenever they learn of a vacant lot or viable property on the market, they invest in it.
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In an interview with WFAA, Yager explained that he recently got a call from Lee. After some small talk and exchanging pleasantries, Lee mentioned that she learned Trinity Habitat for Humanity now owns her vacant lot. “Gage, can I buy that lot from you?” she asked. Yager said “no,” but quickly explained that the non-profit would not sell, but give the vacant lot to Lee at no expense.
It doesn’t end there, though. Trinity Habitat for Humanity has also committed to building a new home for Lee on that lot. The foundation of the building was laid in September, with donations coming from community members. Interestingly, some community members even volunteered to provide onsite labor.
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