State Fair of Texas

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State Fair of Texas

• Marion Butts Collection
• Dallas Public Library

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The State Fair of Texas has a history of racial
discrimination dating back to the 1880s. The
first designated day for African-Americans to
attend the fair was held in 1889 and was called
Colored Peoples Day. Educator Norman
Washington Harllee organized exhibits and planned
events and speakers including Booker T.
Washington in 1900. In 1910, Colored Peoples
Day was discontinued and reappeared in 1936 as
Negro Achievement Day set to coincide with the
Texas Centennial Exposition. Contrary to the fact
that African-Americans werent allowed to
participate in entertainment or eat at
restaurants and concession stands on other days
during the run, fair officials touted Negro
Achievement Day as a way to recognize the
accomplishments and progress of the Negro race in
Texas and the United States. The Hall of Negro
Life was the only building demolished after the
Texas Centennial ended. The Negro Chamber of
Commerce worked with the State Fair board and
sponsored the event and the day drew huge crowds
from across the state. The day began with a
parade including floats, convertibles with young
women vying for the Queen crown and the
presentation of the Most Distinguished Negro
Citizen Award. In the afternoon, high school
football games were played and culminated with a
college game at night. Although many
African-Americans didnt consider the day a form
of segregation, Juanita Craft didnt agree. She
felt like the money spent during that day
contributed to segregation rather than fighting
to end it. Burrow, R.N. (2004).Juanita Craft
Desegregating the State Fair of Texas. Legacies
a History Journal for Dallas and North Central
Texas.
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State Fair of Texas 1947

• Negro Achievement Day featured
• Twins contest
• Queen contest
• Parades with floats and marching
  bands
• Football games
• Entertainment
• Baby Doll contest
• 4H club events and contests
• Left is an ad from the 10/11/1947 Dallas Express
  for the 2nd Annual Negro Achievement Day.
• The Marion Butts Collection has many photos of
  parades, floats, the Twins and Baby Doll contest,
  the football games and the featured entertainment
  for the year.

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State Fair of Texas 1955
From the 10-15-1955 Dallas Express, the ads and
overview of the events scheduled for the fair in
1955. The NAACP Youth Council, under the
guidance of their dynamic leader Juanita Craft,
vowed to boycott Negro Achievement Day in
1955. Ms. Craft believed that youth were the
future of the NAACP. Her energy and passion
energized the Youth Council as she instilled
confidence and determination in their fight
against discrimination. Burrow, R.N.
(2004).Juanita Craft Desegregating the State
Fair of Texas. Legacies a History Journal for
Dallas and North Central Texas.
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State Fair of Texas1955
The Youth Council of the NAACP felt that any
person of any race should be able to attend the
fair on any day, not just a designated day,
without discrimination. Ms. Craft talks about
the movement that was organized so well by the
youth in Dallas during that time, in The Craft
of Civil Rights interview on the Humanities
Texas page under Sit Ins and Pickets
http//humanitiestexas.org/newsroom/spotlights/Feb
ruary2010/craft/index2.php To the left is a
photo of the pickets from the Juanita Craft
Collection at Texas/Dallas History at the Dallas
Public Library. Also, see photo PA2005/4-206 in
the Marion Butts Collection.
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State Fair of Texas 1955
Juanita Craft spoke about how the Youth Council
received an award from the NAACP for the
organized protest of the fair in 1955. She said,
the fair day picket lines were not common in
Dallas, and the news media, by noon, you had
people down from all over the United States.
From Humanities Texas (http//humanitiestexas.org/
newsroom/spotlights/February2010/craft/index2.php
)
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State Fair of Texas 1955 From Juanita Craft on
the Humanities Texas website (http//humanitiestex
as.org/newsroom/spotlights/February2010/craft/ind
ex2.php) Those kidswe made signs all that
weekend and on Monday the kids went to the
starting point at Lincoln High School and boarded
the floats right along with the queens and
everybody else and rode down the streets saying,
"Stay out. Don't sell your pride for a segregated
ride," meaning the hobby horses and so forth out
there. The kids were on top of people's houses
along the route of the parade with megaphones
telling about the segregated policy out there and
to stay out. Well, it was a shame how much money
was spent there ever year by people from all over
the state, the football games and everything. But
then your dignity had to be reckoned with. "Why
would I come here this day and give every penny
that I have to this concern who won't let me come
back tomorrow?" So the moral issue was what we
were fighting. The little girl who led that
thing that year, she was a cheerleader at Lincoln
High School. That band marched right up to the
gate. When they got to the gate, but before the
first float started in, somebody slipped her this
placard saying, "Staying out." And she pointed
and turned that whole parade, it didn't go into
the fair. These are the kind of things that
interest me. We didn't have a single youth get
arrested or a single youth get hurt. They were
hurt in a different manner.
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State Fair of Texas 1955
The Dallas Express of 10-22-1955 was filled with
reports of the boycott staged by the NAACP Youth
Council and the disagreement between the Negro
Chamber of Commerce and the Youth Council. This
page from the Dallas Express on that day shows
the contrast of events that took place during
that day vs. the confrontation. You can see more
photos of State Fair events in the Marion Butts
Collection.
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State Fair of Texas 1955
The State Fair of Texas officials, in
cooperation with the Negro Chamber of Commerce,
had issued a policy which ended segregation
except for two rides and restaurants in 1953. The
two rides were said to involve physical contact
with whites which might lead to violence. The
Negro Chamber of Commerce in accordance with this
agreement, did not want the Youth Council to
stage the protest as they felt that the day was
meant to honor their race and not promote
segregation due to the policy change. Unfortunate
ly, letters such as the one from Father Brown at
the end of this article point to a different
story. The bias was still there, no matter the
policy.
Also, in an ironic twist, the President of the
Negro Chamber of Commerce was denied admission to
a ride during the State Fair. This resulted in
his resignation from the Negro Chamber of
Commerce as he said he would not be part of an
organization that supported segregation.
Additional reference Burrow, R.N.
(2004).Juanita Craft Desegregating the State
Fair of Texas. Legacies a History Journal for
Dallas and North Central Texas
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State Fair of Texas 1955
Here is an article from the 10-22-1955 Dallas
Express on the protest at the fair. This protest
was very organized and well attended by people of
all ages. State Fair VP James Stewart expressed
regret in that he felt the demonstration on Negro
Achievement Day adversely affected the events
planned for the day. He also reiterated that the
fair has been a pioneer in making available to
Negroes throughout its run, facilities that are
not open to them anywhere else in the state.
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The picket lasted all day and well into the
night. Ms. Craft provided food and encouragement
and the planned boycott was orderly with no
violence. However, the local news had no report
of the picket and the Dallas Morning News
reported increased attendance and hailed the
Negro Chamber of Commerce for rejecting the
efforts of the NAACP to mar the day. The Dallas
Express reported a more realistic view of the
event by interviewing attendees who reported a
more sparse crowd than usual and commended the
youth for their stand against segregation and the
Negro Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Craft followed up
the picket of Negro Achievement Day with a plan
to allow African-American youth to attend high
school day through the efforts of white high
school students to obtain free tickets.
Unfortunately, the youth who participated were
reprimanded and the leaders were stripped of
honors, class offices and roles in school plays.
Although the Youth Councils efforts of 1955
did not desegregate the fair, it did increase
their membership and educated youth on the
struggle needed for equality. The council did not
picket the fair in 1956 but instead offered
alternative activities. Burrow, R.N.
(2004).Juanita Craft Desegregating the State
Fair of Texas. Legacies a History Journal for
Dallas and North Central Texas
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State Fair of Texas 1956 Brochure of Events
Negro Achievement Day October 15
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State Fair of Texas 1956
Entertainment scheduled during Negro Achievement
Day
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State Fair of Texas 1957
State Fair ad in the Dallas Express 10-12-1957.
The word Negro has been removed from the day.
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State Fair of Texas1957
The Youth Council of the NAACP planned to not
attend Achievement Day at the Texas State Fair
in 1957. They conducted personal appearances
urging other youth not to attend in that they
felt that the dropping of the word Negro did
not change the discrimination against
African-Americans. From the Dallas Express,
10-5-1957
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State Fair of Texas1957
In sharp contrast to the refusal of African
Americans to attend the designated Achievement
Day, a segregationist group was rumored to be
attending the fair on that day in order to incite
riots and use these riots as a basis for their
stance against integration. The Youth Council of
the NAACP intensified their call for the boycott
by sending letters across the state urging
citizens not to support the fair. From the
Dallas Express, 10-12-1957
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State Fair of Texas 1959
From the Dallas Express, 10-10-1959. The specific
day finally ended in 1961. Segregation finally
ended in 1967, as the fair opened all attractions
and food concessions to people of all races. In
addition, representatives from the
African-American community marched in the opening
day parade. Burrow, R.N. (2004).Juanita Craft
Desegregating the State Fair of Texas. Legacies
a History Journal for Dallas and North Central
Texas.