[3][4] Born in Round Rock, Texas, Craft was the only child of schoolteachers David Sylvestus (d. 1947) and Eliza Balfour Shanks (d. 1918).

After graduating high school in 1919, Craft attended Prairie View A&M University where she studied sewing and millinery.

After two years at Prairie View, Craft moved back to Austin, Texas and received her teaching certificate from Samuel Huston College.

"[5] Craft also assisted in the organization of protests and pickets in segregated lunch counters, restaurants, theaters and public transportation.

Climbing the wooden steps of its front porch were many historic figures seeking audience with Juanita Craft, including Martin Luther King, Jr., and President Lyndon B.