Former state Rep. Harryette Ehrhardt

Former state Rep. Harry Ehrhardt was given the Juanita Craft Humanitarian Legacy Award.

The seventh Juanita Craft Humanitarian Awards were presented by the State Fair of Texas and the Friends of Juanita Craft Civil Rights House and Museum. Craft was known for fighting to integrate the State Fair among other Dallas establishments. And at a time when local Dallas newspapers published license plate numbers of people parked near the bars on Cedar Springs Road, she and Ehrhardt would park directly in front of JR.’s and taunt the papers to publish their licenses.

The Legacy Award is “lifetime achievement award for individuals, families or organizations that have made important and sustained contributions to the understanding and promotion of civil rights.”

As a Dallas ISD trustee, she worked alongside Craft, who was a Dallas city councilperson at the time. Together they fought for educational equality for

African American, Latino and economically disadvantaged Anglo children. LGBT teachers were a target of then-superintendent Linus Wright whose policy was to fire any gay or lesbian staff.

— David Taffet