Friends of Juanita Craft House & Museum

INVEST IN COMMUNITY ACTIVISM, THE PRESERVATION OF DALLAS AND WOMEN'S HISTORY, AND HUMAN RIGHTS

The Juanita Craft Civil Rights House and Museum is a resource for community activists and scholars. It is an inspiration for school children and visitors to Dallas. It is a cultural icon for South Dallas and a beacon to its future. With its gardens and exhibits, it is a living piece of Dallas history that encourages visitors to ‘bring your own passion’ and find themselves fueled by the life and work of Mrs. Craft.

In addition to preserving and honoring the legacy of one of its leaders, the Museum serves the South Dallas community, the city of Dallas, the state, and the nation as a record of Dallas’ role in the Civil Rights Movement through education, advocacy, and civil discourse. It is a vital bridge between the past and present, celebrating and honoring the legacy and visionary ideas of Mrs. Craft and showcasing the capacity of a single committed individual to drive deep and sustained change. 

The Museum helps preserve and share the as yet incompletely told history of Dallas’ Civil Rights Movement, the power and accomplishments of its leaders and of this extraordinary woman, and the rich archives of both personal effects and public documents and materials from which her life and the history of the 20th century African American freedom movements are being curated.

Please help Friends of Juanita Craft Civil Rights House and Museum raise $6,500 to amplify Mrs. Craft's legacy through the much-needed investment in civil rights education and community-focused activities for youth and the broader Dallas community. All, while ensuring Mrs. Craft's work and home (a historic landmark) remain a beacon of light into perpetuity.

HISTORIC DALLAS IMPACT

Mrs. Juanita J. Craft, American activist and politician, was one of Dallas´ most significant civil rights figures. Mrs. Craft was educated at Prairie View A&M and Samuel Huston College. She was the first Black woman in Dallas County to vote in a public election and the second Black woman to serve on the Dallas City Council. She also served for 20 years as a Democratic Precinct Chair. Mrs. Craft was a tireless advocate for desegregation, equal pay for Blacks, equality in health care, and other civil rights issues. In her frequent train trips around the state, she consistently sat in “whites only” sections, refusing to move and she played a crucial role in integrating two universities, the 1954 Texas State Fair, and Dallas theaters, restaurants, and lunch counters.