UNT Multicultural Center

Former president of UNT Multicultural Center

For the UNT Multicultural Center Collection.

Retired educator and activist. Considered the "Grandmother of Juneteenth", Opal Lee delivered 1.5 million signatures to Congress to establish Juneteenth as a federal holiday. Juneteenth was signed into law by President Joe Biden as the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act on June 17, 2021. For her service and efforts, Mrs. Lee was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden on May 3, 2024.

For the African American Collection. Lazayvion was a 3-year undergraduate student at the University of North Texas from 2018 until 2021. He graduated in 2021. The interview was created to accommodate a comparison of the collegiate experience of UNT’s African American students during 2018-2021 with the experiences of African American students of the 1950s and 1960s.

For the Denton County Historical Commission. Childhood, family, and adulthood in the DFW area. Discovering family history through genealogy and other official records: birth and death certificates, census reports, local history. Wright family history of members buried in a mausoleum in the Independent Order of ODD Fellows (IOOF) Cemetery: William Crow Wright, Marmaduke Gillenwater (Wright). History of ancestor Sallie Caruthers and connections with the Chisum family.

For the Denton County Historical Commission. Childhood memories and family history in Denton County. First mayor of Trophy Club. Career and working history: General Motors, Frito-Lay, Mercantile Corporation. Involvement with Denon County Commission’s Court. Development of Emergency Services District (ESD) and building of fire station to increase response times of emergency services for: Northlake, Argyle, Bartonville, Copper Canyon, Corral City and unincorporated areas of Denton County.

For the Women in Business Oral History Project. Entrepreneur and author. The interview spans her early life and education, as well as her changes in career from accounting, and sales, to running her own business and writing her books. She discusses her motivation to empower women in business using her tagline “Women want to be treated equally, not identically.” She discusses the decisions and experiences as a woman in business that led her to open her own company and the challenges she faced. She also discusses the impact of COVID on her business and its effect on business as a whole.

For the Women in Business Oral History Project. Director of Client Services in the insurance industry. The interview spans her motivation and education leading up to her career, the diversifying workforce in the industry, and the impacts of current technology and COVID. She discussed her role in starting a Women In Business group in the past and currently, as well as how being a woman in a leadership role has changed over the last several decades. She also discusses diversity in the workplace as well as her role as a single mother while working.

UNT graduate and Associate Director of the Baptist Student Ministry. Discussion on the impact the COVID pandemic and student life.