Photography by JLD
The Junior League of Dallas partnered with the State Fair of Texas and Dallas Independent School District to bring over 10 thousand coloring books to fourth graders around the district.
The coloring books are centered around Juanita J. Craft, a prominent civil rights activist and the second Black woman elected to the Dallas City Council.
In 1955, Craft staged a protest against the State Fair’s segregationist policies, and continued doing so until 1967 when the fair finally integrated.
To honor this fight, the fair partnered with the Junior League of Dallas, who commissioned a coloring book illustrated by Dallas-based artist Desiree Vaniecia to portray Craft and educate on her impact on the community.
“JLD is committed to supporting education and fostering diversity and inclusion across our areas of impact in the Dallas community,” said JLD President Emily Somerville-Carbrera. “This is an exciting moment that builds on the momentum of our Centennial Project and commitment to sharing Ms. Crafts’ legacy with the entire Dallas Community.”
The coloring books were printed and distributed across 153 elementary campuses in Dallas ISD to more than 10,600 fourth-graders as part of their Texas History curriculum’s special lesson plan on the role of Craft’s desegregation protests.
