Miss Opal Lee of Fort Worth learned early Friday she did not win the Nobel Peace Prize. Known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth, she was nominated for the prestigious award by U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Fort Worth) and more than two dozen members of Congress signed her nomination letter.
There were 342 nominees for the award, which went to activists standing up for human rights and democracy in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine.
Lee spent years trying to get Juneteenth recognized as a federal holiday and was at the White House when it finally happened last year. At 95 years old she continues to help others in her neighborhood, delivering meals to people who are bedridden.
The announcement came at 4 a.m. Texas time. Even not winning, Lee says she "was stunned" just to be nominated.
June 19 is the day in 1865 -- 10 weeks after the end of the Civil War -- when Galveston slaves first learned slavery had been abolished. Friday is Opal Lee's 96th birthday.
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