Juanita Craft

Juanita Craft

Juanita Craft (b. Juanita Jewel Shanks February 9, 1902-August 6, 1985) was a civil rights pioneer and member of the Dallas City Council in Texas. [cite web
url=http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/021008dnmetcraft.316526e.html
title=Black Dallas Remembered gathering honors civil rights leader Juanita Craft | Denton Record-Chronicle | News for Denton County, Texas | Latest News
publisher=www.dentonrc.com
accessdate=2008-06-30
last=
first=]

Born in Round Rock, Texas, Craft came to Dallas from the Austin area in 1925, being employed as a maid at the Adolphus Hotel and later as a seamstress.

She joined the NAACP in 1935, eventually becoming the Dallas NAACP membership chairman in 1942 and the Texas NAACP field organizer in 1946. She helped to organize 182 branches of the NAACP over eleven years.

After becoming the first black woman in Dallas County to vote in 1944, she also attempted to help enroll the first black student at North Texas State College (Now the University of North Texas), a battle eventually won through litigation. In 1955, she organized a protest of the State Fair of Texas against their policy of admitting blacks only on "Negro Achievement Day." Craft also assisted in the organization of protests and pickets in segregated lunch counters, restaurants, theaters and public transportation.

Following the 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education, Craft also worked to integrate the University of Texas Law School and the Dallas School District. She later served two terms on the Dallas City Council from 1975 and 1979.

Juanita Craft was given many awards for her efforts including the NAACP Golden Heritage Life Membership Award in 1978, the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award in 1984 and was recognized by the NAACP for her fifty years of service shortly before her passing at the age of 83 on August 6, 1985.

The Juanita Jewel Craft Recreation Center and a Dallas city park were named in her honor as was a U.S. Post Office in southeast Dallas. Her home, the Juanita J. Craft Civil Rights House, is now part of Dallas' Wheatley Place Historic District.

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Craft (disambiguation) — A craft is an occupation or trade requiring manual dexterity or artistic skill. Craft may also refer to: Contents 1 Music 2 People 3 Places …   Wikipedia

  • Wheatley Place, Dallas, Texas — Infobox nrhp | name =Wheatley Place Historic District nrhp type =hd caption = location= Dallas, Texas area = built =1916 architect= architecture= Bungalow/Craftsman added = March 23, 1995 governing body = Private mpsub=East and South Dallas MPS… …   Wikipedia

  • South Dallas — is an area in Dallas, Texas, (USA). It is usually either defined in one of two ways: As the area south of the Trinity River and south of Interstate 30, which consist mostly of Oak Cliff and Pleasant Grove, or to the area bounded by I 30 and… …   Wikipedia

  • Bath House Cultural Center — The Bath House Cultural Center is the first of six neighborhood cultural centers built and operated by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs. It is located on the east shore of White Rock Lake in east Dallas, Texas (USA). It serves all of …   Wikipedia

  • Andrea Dworkin — Infobox Person name = Andrea Dworkin image size = caption = birth date = birth date|mf=yes|1946|9|26|mf=y birth place = Camden, New Jersey death date = death date and age|mf=yes|2005|4|9|1946|9|26 death place = Washington, D.C. known for =… …   Wikipedia

  • Mary Martin — For other people named Mary Martin, see Mary Martin (disambiguation). Mary Martin Photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1949 Born Mary Virginia Martin December 1, 1913( …   Wikipedia

  • Minor characters in Sonic the Hedgehog (comic book) — This article is for minor characters that appear exclusively in the story lines of the Sonic the Hedgehog comic book. For information on characters who appear in this series and in the TV Series, see List of characters in Sonic the Hedgehog . For …   Wikipedia

  • Fort Hood shooting — Killeen police SWAT team responds to the shooting …   Wikipedia

  • Cross-stitch — This article is about the embroidery style called cross stitch or counted cross stitch. For specific crossed stitches used in needlework, see cross stitches. Cross stitch sampler, Germany, 1735. Cross stitch is a popular form of counted thread… …   Wikipedia

  • Nakshi Kantha — Traditional nakshi kantha Close view of a contempo …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”