What a doll: Opal Lee becomes a Barbie

Published on March 12, 2026

Educator, advocate, activist, changemaker … and now a Barbie doll! Fort Worth's own Opal Lee, the venerated Grandmother of Juneteenth, is all those things.

Mattel's "Barbie Inspiring Women" line of dolls recently added Lee to the collection, which pays homage to "incredible heroines of their time; courageous women who took risks, changed rules and paved the way for generations of girls to dream bigger than ever before."

If you ask us, they couldn't have picked a more deserving lady than Lee to be a Barbie!

Among her many milestones, at age 89, Lee walked from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., to petition lawmakers to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. Her hard work paid off: The legislation passed in 2021, and Lee was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2024 for her efforts.

"She persistently demonstrates what's possible when one uses their voice to inspire change," says Mattel's website of Lee, who celebrated her 99th birthday last October.

Since her inaugural sojourn, Lee has hosted 2.5-mile "Opal's Walks for Freedom" each year on Juneteenth. The annual event symbolizes the 2.5 years it took for news of the Emancipation Proclamation to reach enslaved people in Texas.

Photo: Lee's Barbie sports a Walk for Freedom T-shirt, along with her signature eyeglasses, curly white locks and (of course) shoes made for walking. (Photo courtesy of Mattel.)

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