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Juanita Jewel (Shanks) Craft (1902-1985) was born in Round Rock and attended schools there and in Austin before earning certificates from Prairie View and Samuel Huston Colleges. She joined the Dallas Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1935 and became a pivotal NAACP civil rights organizer, childrens advocate, public servant and humanitarian. From 1950 until her death, she lived here, hosting nationally-known politicians and civil rights leaders, including Thurgood Marshall and Roy Wilkins. In the 1950s, artists such as Duke Ellington and Marian Anderson stayed in her home when touring Jim Crow Dallas. This craftsman-style bungalow was built in 1925 in Wheatley Place Addition, just south of Wheatley Place, one of Dallas first residential subdivisions developed exclusively for African American families. This area has been home to a remarkable community of educators, political reformers, musicians, artists and entrepreneurs. This house was a nexus for community mobilizations, social justice activism and political campaigns on local, state and national levels. As advisor to the South Dallas NAACP Youth Council, Juanita Craft shaped generations of youth from this house and on annual summer trips across the nation. Her backyard was the setting for countless barbeques bringing citizens from all communities together to address the issues of the day. The ability to surmount cultural, ethnic and social barriers and gather people together on the common field of their humanity was Juanita Crafts special gift. One of Dallas most beloved public figures, she bequeathed this home and an extensive historical estate to the public, so that future generations could come to understand the importance of service to community and nation. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2010 SUPPLEMENTAL PLAQUE: "I had no children, so I adopted the world." -- Juanita Craft |
