Juanita Craft facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Juanita J. Craft
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Craft during her tenure as a city council member in Dallas, Texas, 1976.
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| Born |
Juanita Jewel Shanks
February 9, 1902 Round Rock, Texas, U.S.
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| Died | August 6, 1985 (aged 83) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
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| Years active | 1935–1984 |
| Known for | Activist during the Civil Rights Movement |
| Spouse(s) |
Charles Floyd Langham
(m. 1921; div. 1925)Johnnie Edward Craft
(m. 1937; died 1950) |
| Awards | Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award (1984) NAACP Golden Heritage Life Membership Award (1978) |
Juanita Craft (born Juanita Jewel Shanks; February 9, 1902 – August 6, 1985) was a very important American activist and politician. She worked tirelessly for the Civil Rights Movement, fighting for equal rights for all people. Juanita Craft also served as a member of the Dallas City Council in Texas.
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Who Was Juanita Craft?
Early Life and Education
Juanita Jewel Shanks was born in Round Rock, Texas, on February 9, 1902. She was the only child of David Sylvestus and Eliza Balfour Shanks, who were both schoolteachers. Juanita was raised by her mother. After her mother passed away in 1918, Juanita moved to Columbus, Texas, to live with her father.
After finishing high school in 1919, Juanita attended Prairie View A&M University. There, she studied sewing and how to make hats. After two years, she moved back to Austin, Texas. She earned her teaching certificate from Samuel Huston College. By 1925, Juanita Craft was working as a maid and later as a seamstress.
Fighting for Civil Rights
Juanita Craft joined the NAACP in 1935. The NAACP is a group that works for the rights of African Americans. She quickly became a leader in the organization. By 1942, she was the Dallas NAACP membership chairman. In 1946, she became the Texas NAACP field organizer.
Over eleven years, Juanita Craft helped start 182 new NAACP branches. This showed how dedicated she was to the cause. In 1944, she made history by becoming the first Black woman in Dallas County to vote in a public election. This was a big step forward for voting rights.
In 1955, Juanita Craft organized a protest against the State Fair of Texas. The fair only allowed Black people to attend on a special "Negro Achievement Day." She also helped organize protests and pickets at segregated lunch counters, restaurants, theaters, and public transportation. These actions helped bring attention to unfair rules.
After the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education court decision, which said that separate schools were not equal, Craft worked to integrate schools. She helped integrate the University of Texas Law School. She also worked to integrate the Dallas Independent School District. She even tried to help the first Black student enroll at North Texas State College, which is now the University of North Texas. This fight was eventually won in court.
A Leader in Dallas
Juanita Craft later served two terms on the Dallas City Council. She was a council member from 1975 to 1979. She became a very important leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Texas. She received many awards for her hard work.
In 1978, she received the NAACP Golden Heritage Life Membership Award. In 1984, she was given the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award. The NAACP also recognized her for fifty years of service. Juanita Craft passed away on August 6, 1985, at the age of 83.
Remembering Juanita Craft
Juanita Craft's legacy lives on in many ways. The Juanita Jewel Craft Recreation Center and a Dallas city park were named in her honor. A U.S. Post Office in southeast Dallas also carries her name.
Her home on Warren Avenue in South Dallas is now the Juanita J. Craft Civil Rights House. It is part of Dallas's Wheatley Place Historic District. Many important people visited her home, including Martin Luther King, Jr., and President Lyndon B. Johnson. They came to talk with Juanita Craft and seek her advice.
