Few people of a certain era in Dallas, and indeed in many cities across the nation, could say they did not know of Juanita Jewel Shanks Craft.Her larger-than-life identity was as a Dallas-based national NAACP leader and local civil rights stalwart. From the 1930s through the 1970s, she led many crusades to eradicate segregation and uplift racial equality.Craft and former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt were friends and worked together on service projects. Historians say that Craft also met four of the nine U.S. presidents who served during her active years. Former President Lyndon Johnson even visited her modest home in South Dallas, as did civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Continue reading...
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