Opal's Walk for Freedom
About this race
Cincinnati is proud to be one of the select few cities to host the 2026 National Opal’s Walk for Freedom, a Juneteenth observance honoring the end of slavery in the United States and the ongoing pursuit of inclusive freedom.
Opal’s Walk for Freedom, organized by the Texas-based non-profit Unity Unlimited, Inc., is led by Dr. Opal Lee, widely known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth.” On June 19, participants in host cities across the country will walk 2.5 miles simultaneously, symbolizing the approximately 2.5 years between the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and the day enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, learned they were free in 1865.
The walk is supported by national and local partners, including Start 2 Finish Event Management, Detroit Choice Events, JARK 1 Entertainment, and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
The Freedom Center invites the Cincinnati community and out-of-town visitors to join the walk on June 19 to reflect, remember and celebrate freedom together.
Organizations interested in becoming local sponsors of the Cincinnati Opal’s Walk for Freedom may contact philanthropy@nurfc.org.
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Walking
Opal's Walk for Freedom
Typical race-day weather
Based on 11 years of Open-Meteo archive data for this event's race dates in Cincinnati, plus the 3 days either side.
The sun rises at 6:11 AM and sets at 9:07 PM local time (EDT) in Cincinnati on June 19, 2026 — 14h 55m of daylight.
Course
No course map published yet.
The organizer hasn't released a route for this event, and we don't publish guesses. If you're the organizer, send us a GPX file and we'll draw the profile.
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Other races near Cincinnati
Different organizers, within 40 miles, in the next three months
Das Holiday 5k at the Cincinnati Christkindlmarkt
The Great Pumpkin 5K
Cincinnati Pride 5k
Stone Steps 50K and 27K Trail Run
Where this page comes from. Race details were last updated on . We re-check listings regularly and again in the week before race day.
- Entries, prices, waves and inclusions — the event's official registration page
- Temperature and humidity — Copernicus ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0)
- Elevation and terrain relief — Copernicus DEM GLO-90, ESA (CC BY 4.0)
- Comparisons and counts — Race Discovery calendar, 87 Cincinnati events
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