Juanita Craft Day Juanita J. Craft knew what she wanted her legacy to be. “I want them to remember one thing – I raised hell with them.” As a prominent Dallas civil rights leader and the second Black woman elected to the Dallas City Council, Craft led a three-decade long fight for desegregation and equal pay, voting rights, education and health care. Crucial to her hell-raising was Craft’s home on Warren Avenue in the Fair Park neighborhood of Dallas. During the height of her activism, it served as a central hub for community organizing and stood witness to many pivotal civil rights moments in Dallas history. Notable visitors included Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, our country’s first Black Supreme Court Justice, Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Jimmy Carter and numerous U.S. congresspersons and Texas state legislators. The home was willed by Craft for civic use after her death and is now owned by the city. It is designated as a Dallas City Landmark Commission site, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is also a Texas Historic Landmark property. Craft made it known before her death that she wanted the home to be a place where people of all backgrounds could visit and learn how to become a change maker. Since 1994, the home has operated as a house museum. But in 2018, it was damaged when a water pipe burst in the attic. Rehabilitating the home is the Junior League of Dallas’ Centennial Project, a partnership with the Dallas Office of Arts & Culture, Fair Park and the Friends of the Juanita Craft Civil Rights House. “Juanita Craft’s home was a nexus for the greatest minds of her time. Once her home re-opens later this year, our hope is that it is constantly alive with the greatest minds of today, curious to learn about the past and helping to grow the city’s future,” JLD President Christa Sanford said. Once restored, the home will once again be a museum with educational programs that tell the story of Craft’s life and advocacy. “It is our hope that each person that crosses the threshold of Ms. Craft’s home is transformed into a better version of themselves, committed to actively participating in civic life,” Candace Thompson, Chair of the Friends of the Juanita Craft Civil Rights House, said in remarks to the City Council. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said that the proclamation is about more than commemorating a single day. “It’s about recognizing that generations of people have and will continue to benefit everyday from Craft’s lifetime of work.”
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