Juanita Craft
February 9, 1902–August 6, 1985
In 1918, sixteen-year-old Juanita Craft accompanied her critically ill mother to a tuberculosis treatment facility in San Angelo. They arrived at the hospital after a long journey, only to be turned away because of their race. Craft’s mother died two months later. That tragedy spurred Craft— whose grandparents had been enslaved—to a lifelong fight against racial discrimination.
As a young woman, Craft studied at Prairie View A&M. She later settled in Dallas, finding work as a bell maid at the posh Adolphus Hotel.
In the 1930s, she joined the Dallas chapter of the NAACP and ultimately traversed the state, helping to organize and revive local chapters. One observer, inspired by Craft’s energy and eloquence, reported that her visits were like "a blood transfusion to a very weak patient."
Craft also became a mentor to Dallas’s Black youth. She led them in anti-segregation protests at restaurants, stores, and the State Fair, always preaching the importance of communication and respect for others. "Build a bridge," she advised. "Then carry them over to your side."
Craft herself built many bridges in Dallas, often at potluck dinners in her backyard. In her seventies, she served on the city council. Among her many accolades, she received the Linz Award, Dallas’s highest honor for efforts benefiting the city. Craft remained a champion for civil rights until her death in 1985.
For More about Juanita Craft
Collections pertaining to Juanita Craft and her activism are housed at the Dallas Public Library and the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin.
The Juanita J. Craft Park and Recreation Center are located at 4500 Spring Avenue in Dallas. The ceremony renaming the park in Craft’s honor took place on February 10, 1974, the day after Craft’s seventy-second birthday. A tribute to Craft’s work on behalf of young people and the South Dallas neighborhoods that she loved, the park continues to serve the community as a multi-generational hub. The recently renovated recreation center features the Baylor Scott & White Health and Wellness Clinic, a state-of-the-art fitness center, meeting rooms, and a full gymnasium.
The Juanita J. Craft Civil Rights House is located at 2618 Warren Avenue in Dallas's Wheatley Place Historic District. Craft’s home was a meeting place for African American youth, whom Craft believed would shape the future of the civil rights struggle. Civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and elected officials including Lyndon B. Johnson also visited the home. The building is open to the public by appointment.
Selected Bibliography
Abernathy-McKnight, Mamie L. "Craft, Juanita Jewel Shanks." Handbook of Texas Online.
Burrow, Rachel Northington. "Juanita Craft." Master’s thesis, Southern Methodist University, 1994.
Decker, Stefanie. "Women in the Civil Rights Movement: Juanita Craft versus the Dallas Elite." East Texas Historical Journal 39, no.1 (2002): 33–42.
Gillette, Michael L. "The Craft of Civil Rights." Humanities Texas, February 2010.
Rogers, Mary B., ed. Texas Women: A Celebration of History. Austin: Texas Foundation for Women’s Resources, 1981.
Vaughan, Chandler, ed. A Child, the Earth, and a Tree of Many Seasons: The Voice of Juanita Craft. Dallas: Halifax, 1982.
Spanish Translation
Download the Spanish translation of this Texas Originals script.
Portrait of Juanita Craft.
Juanita Craft (seated, center) with Madison Jones Jr., Gloster B. Current, Dr. J. Leonidas Leach, and Harry T. Moore. Courtesy of the Dallas Public Library Juanita Craft Collection.