Continuing to Honor A Dallas Icon at the State Fair of Texas

The home of Civil Rights icon, Juanita Craft needs our attention to preserve and renovate this critical facility and piece of history. Designated a Dallas Landmark in 1999, the Juanita Craft Home is located at 2618 Warren Avenue in Dallas’ Wheatley Place Historic District. Her home needs a roof, a new foundation, and some minor repairs, and has now suffered significant damage from a recent pipe bursting. The attic filled with water collapsing the ceilings in three rooms – the kitchen, a second bedroom, and the back room.

Juanita Craft was an NAACP leader, former Democratic Precinct Chair, and the first black woman in Texas history to be deputized as a poll tax collector. Craft was a tireless advocate for desegregation, equal pay, equality in health care, and other civil rights issues. She moved to this Warren Avenue home during the 1950s when racial tension in the neighborhood was high. There were 11 bombings in the surrounding area from 1950 to 1951 alone. Despite this, her home became a meeting place for African American youth, whom Craft educated on civil rights issues and she believed would shape the future of the civil rights struggle. Civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and politicians such as Lyndon B. Johnson also visited Craft’s home. The house, built in 1930, is a typical example of the Craftsman Bungalow style and retains much of its original historic features. Mrs. Craft also played a crucial role integrating the State Fair of Texas among other universities, restaurants, and theaters around Dallas — due to her tireless efforts and this significant achievement, we would like to honor her legacy.

Please join us for the Juanita Craft Humanitarian Awards ceremony on October 6, 2019 at 3:45 p.m. during the State Fair of Texas in Fair Park. We will honor the legacy of Mrs. Craft by awarding past, present, and up-and-coming leaders who are continuing her vision. The Juanita Craft Humanitarian Awards will be an annual event held during the State Fair of Texas to recognize the work of Mrs. Craft and help uplift those who are committed to issues of justice and community transformation. The Juanita Craft Museum Steering Committee is dedicated to raising funds to repair the home and providing features that will allow the home to become an educational tool and resource for future generations. See the enclosed links that describe the event, available sponsorship levels, and the forms to nominate individuals and organizations/businesses for the award and help us achieve our fundraising goal of $100,000.

Juanita Craft Humanitarian Awards Ceremony

Sunday, October 6,  2019
3:45 P.M. Before the Gospel Night Concert
Chevrolet Main Stage at the State Fair of Texas
Access to the Chevrolet Main Stage is free with Fair admission.

Know someone who should be nominated?

Interested in being a sponsor of the Juanita Craft Humanitarian Awards?