Dione M. Sims Executive Director
Dione Sims is the President and Founder of Unity Unlimited, Inc. She has produced the Annual Juneteenth Fort Worth Celebration with her grandmother, Dr. Opal Lee, since 2015, engineered the Opal’s Walk campaign for Juneteenth national holiday recognition, developed the Your Voice Unleashed Fine Arts Workshop and Concert unity programming, and sponsored the Opal’s Farm urban farming project that seeks to reduce food insecurity and provide a means for second chance training and employment. She was present with Dr. Lee at the White House signing of the bill that established June 19th of every year as a federal holiday. She continues to work to highlight the message of freedom that Juneteenth represents.
Opal Lee Board Member
Known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” Ms. Opal Lee was present when President Joe Biden signed the bill that established “Juneteenth” as a federal holiday after her successful walking campaign and online petition that garnered over 1.5 million signatures for Juneteenth holiday awareness. She has received six honorary doctorates, has been named 2021 Texan of the Year by the Dallas Morning News editorial board, the 2021 Unsung Hero of the Pandemic, Fort Worth Inc.’s 2022 Person of the Year, is a Nobel Peace Prize nominee and most recently became the second African American to have her portrait hung in the Texas State Senate.
Patricia Martin Secretary
The longest-serving board member, Ms. Martin, is a founding board member of Unity Unlimited. She has worked in the health and human services industry as a patient coordinator with JPS Health network and a client specialist with the Housing Authority. Her heart for serving is exemplified through her commitment to her local church as a youth ministry worker, prayer team member and bookstore worker.
