Evanston’s Juneteenth Parade to Honor Opal Lee’s Legacy, with Granddaughter Dione Sims Named Grand Marshal

EVANSTON, Ill. (WLS) — Evanston’s yearly Juneteenth parade is set to start Friday at Arrington Lagoon, and this year’s celebration carries a deeply personal link to the long campaign to make the holiday a federal observance.

Serving as grand marshal is Dione Sims, who watched her grandmother, Opal Lee, spend decades advocating for Juneteenth to be officially recognized nationwide.

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Lee — widely known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth” — traveled hundreds of miles on foot across the country, pressing lawmakers to honor June 19 as the date commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. Sims was by her side during much of that journey.

“We were both there on June 17, 2021, when President Biden signed the Juneteenth Independence Day Act into law,” Sims said.

Now, Sims is carrying that legacy forward through Unity Unlimited, the organization she founded to help bring an Opal’s Walk for Freedom to all 50 states. Evanston has become Illinois’ host city for the effort, thanks in part to Kemone Hendricks, who launched the city’s first Juneteenth celebration in 2020. Hendricks said she connected with both Sims and Lee early in the process.

“I reached out directly to them, like, ‘hey, I need to talk with you and learn more about Juneteenth,’” Hendricks said.

This year, Sims will lead Opal’s Walk for Freedom as grand marshal. The 2.5-mile route symbolizes the two and a half years it took for news of the Emancipation Proclamation to reach enslaved people in Texas.

“She’s going to be here to commemorate and truly make the walk meaningful, and that’s why it’s so important for everyone of all races, all ages to come out and support,” Hendricks said.

Opal’s Walk for Freedom begins at 10:30 a.m. Friday, followed by a celebration at the end of the route. Sims said she also plans to tour the Obama Presidential Center later in the day.