Visit Fort Worth will move ahead with an in-person annual meeting Feb. 5 at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel, and recognize the civil rights leader Opal Lee and front-line hospitality workers, it said Wednesday.
"Lee, 94, realized a longtime dream in 2020 and collected 1.5 million signatures on a petition to create a national holiday for Juneteenth, the day the Civil War-era Emancipation Proclamation was announced in Texas," Visit Fort Worth said in a release. Her quest captured national recognition, with the New York Times interviewing Lee for a story headlined "Opal Lee's Juneteenth Vision is Becoming Reality."
Visit Fort Worth said it will give Lee its annual Hospitality Award "for her efforts to make Fort Worth a more welcoming community."
Visit Fort Worth was a leading sponsor of Lee's Walk celebrating Juneteenth 2020. Celebrities including Usher, Diddy and Lupita Nyong’o recognized Lee's quest.
“Opal Lee’s positive message about freedom captured national attention this year. In honoring her, we want to emphasize that everyone is welcome in Fort Worth, Texas,” Mark Nurdin, chairman of the Visit Fort Worth Board of Directors, said in a release.
Lee said, “We have simply got to make people aware that none of us are free until we’re all free, and we aren’t free yet. As we address local inequality, we become a more welcoming city.”
Tickets are now on sale for the Feb. 5 breakfast. "The event has been re-imagined for social distancing and safety," Visit Fort Worth said. "Most tables will seat six people instead of the usual 10. For even more distancing, tables for two are available around the perimeter of the room.
"The event will take less than 50% occupancy of the Omni ballroom. Masks will be required at all times except when dining. Hospitality staff stationed by entry doors will take the temperature of each attendee."
Previous honorees of the Hospitality Award include DFW Airport, Mayor Betsy Price, Leon Bridges, museums of the Cultural District and Holt Hickman, whose vision to renovate the Stockyards revived the district decades ago.
Visit Fort Worth also will recognize front-line workers in the hospitality industry – "among the hardest hit by this year’s business closures and economic downturn" - with its Beyond Award. Nominate an employee of a hotel, restaurant or cultural attraction by Jan. 11 at www.fortworth.com/events/annual/beyond-award/, Visit Fort Worth said.
“Tourism is vital to our local economy because it creates jobs and supports local business," Bob Jameson, Visit Fort Worth's CEO, said. "We look forward to honoring Opal Lee and our front-line hospitality workers because they embody the determination and spirit of the Modern West."
Visit Fort Worth said it will use the annual meeting to "highlight ways the local tourism industry is recovering and opportunities for ensuring long-term growth." Before COVID-19, the local visitor economy delivered a $2.6 billion annual economic impact and supported more than 24,000 jobs, Visit Fort Worth said.