First Freedom: The Story of Opal Lee and Juneteenth Delivers the Origin Story of an American Holiday

5 days ago 6

As portion of Black History Month, Oni Press is releasing a caller biographical graphic caller called First Freedom: The Story of Opal Lee and Juneteenth. This publication dramatizes the beingness and enactment of Dr. Opal Lee and reveals however the nationalist vacation Juneteenth got its start.

IGN tin exclusively debut a caller preview of First Freedom. Check it retired successful the slideshow assemblage below:

First Freedom: The Story of Opal Lee and Juneteenth Preview Gallery

First Freedom: The Story of Opal Lee and Juneteenth is written by Angélique Roché, with creation by Alvin Epps (I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005: A Graphic Novel), Bex Glendining (On Starlit Shores), and Millicent Monroe, colors by Damali Beatty, and letters by Alexis Bennett with Andworld Design.

“I judge it is important to enactment that portion this publication gives ample abstraction to the speech of Juneteenth, Ms. Opal’s interaction has been and continues to scope further than conscionable the combat for a nationalist holiday," Roché writes successful the book's preface. "Even earlier Ms. Opal chaired a Juneteenth committee oregon acceptable her sights connected walking to D.C., she had clip and clip again made herself a ‘committee of one.’ As a daughter, sister, mother, friend, educator, advocate, and activist, she has acceptable retired to execute tasks large and small. Guided by household bequest and faith, she continues to situation the limitations others would spot connected america from the mean to the extraordinary. That is the communicative I acceptable retired to tell, with the sincere anticipation that successful these words, pictures, timelines, and references, I’ve been capable to seizure adjacent a modicum of her tone and an iota of the vastness of idiosyncratic powerfulness her beingness and bequest represent.”

“First Freedom: The Story of Opal Lee and Juneteenth is simply a testament to the genuinely inspirational courageousness of Dr. Opal Lee,” said Oni Press Editor-in-Chief Sierra Hahn. “The publication is an indispensable work not lone for librarians, teachers, historians, and activists, but anyone funny successful American history, the powerfulness of activism, and the look of idiosyncratic freedom.”

First Freedom: The Story of Opal Lee and Juneteenth is disposable successful hardcover and softcover formats now. You tin bid the publication connected Amazon.

In different comic publication news, find retired which bid was selected arsenic IGN's champion comic publication of 2025, and spot which comics we're astir excited for successful 2026.

Jesse is simply a mild-mannered unit writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intelligence thicket by following @jschedeen connected BlueSky.

Read Entire Article