Crown Royal Celebrated Juneteenth in Ft. Worth
Crown Royal is proud to announce Ms. Opal Lee, the grandmother of Juneteenth, as the “Royal Rider” award winner. In partnership with rodeos across the country, the award honors community pillars who keep their communities thriving. The Crown Royal “Royal Rider” recipient receives the royal treatment and a hand-engraved, custom belt buckle.
Ms. Opal Lee began pushing for national holiday recognition for Juneteenth in 2016 with “Opal’s Walk 2 DC” at age 89. It’s a 1,400-mile journey from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington, D.C. and she hoped to gain 100,000 petition signatures.
Six years and 1.5 million signatures later, Ms. Opal Lee was invited to the White House when President Joe Biden officially made Juneteenth a national holiday on June 17, 2021. Crown Royal extends their appreciation to Ms. Opal Lee who has paved the way for this monumental holiday to be recognized and her continued efforts in the community.
To further honor Juneteenth, Crown Royal hosted a major celebration.
Event highlights included:
- An inaugural grand procession through the historic Fort Worth Stockyards of notable Black cowboys and cowgirls, ahead of the Bill Pickett Juneteenth rodeo
- An archival photo installation highlighting the evolution of the Black cowboy
- $25,000 donation to the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum in Fort Worth who strives to provide a full historical perspective of the people and activities that built the unique culture of the American West
