Just in time for this month’s observance of Juneteenth, Oni Press has announced an upcoming original graphic novel debuting in 2026 that both celebrates the holiday and Opal Lee, the activist who worked tirelessly to make sure the events behind the holiday are recognized. In First Freedom: The Story of Opal Lee and Juneteenth, writer Angélique Roché and artists Alvin Epps, Millicent Monroe, and Bex Glendining looks to shine a light on Opal Lee’s undaunted efforts to have Juneteenth recognized and her long life of service to humanity.
First Freedom: The Story of Opal Lee and Juneteenth cover
As said in the official press release:
It doesn’t take much to see that the great-granddaughter of a runaway slave, born into Jim Crow and segregation, taught through integration and grew to be the grandmother of Juneteenth, has a story that needs to be told. All too often, the stories of African Americans and our communities are filled with devastating gaps and missing moments, from the ordinary to the extraordinary. The story of Ms. Opal Lee fills those gaps, highlighting everyday struggles and the critical moments between emancipation – that first freedom – and the hard-fought freedoms won since. From a farm in Texarkana, Arkansas, to the White House, Ms. Opal’s life represents not just the power of one person but the collective strength of our movements.
Epps, Monroe, and Glendining will each illustrate one of the three interlocking chapters in First Freedom, each chapter detailing a period in Opal’s own arduous life.
First Freedom: The Story of Opal Lee and Juneteenth cover
On a personal notes, as a history teacher in my other life, I cannot wait for the graphic novel to go on sale, as I definitely plan on incorporating it into my own classroom instruction.
First Freedom: The Story of Opal Lee and Juneteenth goes on sale Tuesday, February 3, 2026, from Oni Press.
Check out preview pages from the graphic novel and the official press release below!
Preview pages from First Freedom: The Story of Opal Lee and Juneteenth:
And the official press release:
Oni Press, the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning publisher of groundbreaking comics and graphic novels since 1997, is proud to announce a powerful new graphic novel – First Freedom: The Story of Opal Lee and Juneteenth – coming to comic shop and bookstores in February of 2026, 46 years after Juneteenth was first recognized as a statewide holiday by the state of Texas, and five years since its formal establishment as a federal holiday.
Charting the incredible journey and relentless courage of activist Opal Lee—known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth—to bring recognition of American Emancipation from local advocacy to state capitols all the way to the White House, this biographical graphic novel pairs acclaimed journalist, producer, and author Angélique Roché (My Super Hero is Black) with a trio of talented artists—including Alvin Epps (I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005: A Graphic Novel), Bex Glendining (the upcoming Indigo Port), and rising star Millicent Monroe – who each chronicle a different interlocking chapter in Ms. Lee’s own arduous life alongside the true struggles and travails of the millions of Black Americans who lived the reality of the first Juneteenth celebrations at the close of the Civil War in 1865 and the aftermath that would follow their children for generations to come.
From the 1860s to Ms. Opal’s childhood home and onward through her years as a teacher to receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2024, First Freedom: The Story of Opal Lee and Juneteenth seeks to give readers an insight into the history behind one of the most recognized figures in the creation of America’s newest federal holiday, Juneteenth.
“It doesn’t take much to see that the great-granddaughter of a runaway slave, born into Jim Crow and segregation, taught through integration and grew to be the grandmother of Juneteenth, has a story that needs to be told,” said author Angélique Roché. “All too often, the stories of African Americans and our communities are filled with devastating gaps and missing moments, from the ordinary to the extraordinary. The story of Ms. Opal Lee fills those gaps, highlighting everyday struggles and the critical moments between emancipation – that first freedom – and the hard-fought freedoms won since. From a farm in Texarkana, Arkansas, to the White House, Ms. Opal’s life represents not just the power of one person but the collective strength of our movements.
“We’re honored to bring Opal Lee’s extraordinary story to life for a new generation through the creative vision of Angélique Roché, Alvin Epps, Bex Glendining, and Millicent Monroe,” said Polarity CEO David Steward II. “‘First Freedom’ illustrates how one voice can inspire meaningful change, chronicling Opal’s journey from grassroots activism to national recognition, elevating Juneteenth beyond a historical milestone. The graphic novel serves as a powerful testament to resilience, justice, and freedom—a narrative that embodies the values we aspire to share with our Oni readers.”
“While Ms Opal is known as a champion for Juneteenth and what it stands for, her lifetime commitment to service touches every aspect of her life,” added Roché. “From motherhood to the classroom, serving as a deaconess in her church, starting and maintaining a community food bank, breaking ground on an urban farm, providing educational scholarships, and creating opportunities for affordable housing, Ms. Opal shows how we can move mountains in the pursuit of ensuring freedom for all people, one step at a time.”
Born in 1926, Opal Lee grew up in a racially divided America and dedicated her life to overcoming the obstacles presented therein. A lifelong educator, Ms. Opal has been a community activist all her life, and would join the movement to celebrate and commemorate Juneteenth not just as a holiday, but as a symbol of comprehensive freedom for all people.
Ms. Opal’s life personifies the resilience that leads to lasting change in the hearts and minds of people. As the Grandmother of Juneteenth says, “If people can be taught to hate, they can be taught to love.”
Discover the life of an extraordinary woman’s path through contemporary American history and the rarely told true story of the Juneteenth holiday itself in First Freedom: The Story of Opal Lee and Juneteenth – coming in February 2026 from Oni Press.