Frances Broaddus-Crutchfield

Frances Broaddus Crutchfield (born 1942 or 1943 political activist, environmentalist, and writer for the Richmond Free Press and other venues. She is a supporter of and liaison with the Mattaponi tribe of Native Americans in the United States. She and her son, Henry Broaddus, were the plaintiffs in the case Frances Broaddus Crutchfield and Henry Broaddus v. the County of Hanover, Virginia. She wrote "Saving the Mattaponi" to raise funds for the tribe. She read her poem "Mantle", based on the design of a monument tribute to American Indians, on station WTVR in Richmond, Virginia and other Virginia stations.
Journalism
She has published articles in the Richmond Free Press and many OpEd pieces in the Richmond Times-Dispatch and other publications. Frances Broaddus-Crutchfield was awarded first place for speech/speeches, third place for feature story (8C) - online publication, and third place for books and creative writing (61A) - creative verse, single poem.
Acting
Broaddus-Crutchfield began public speaking and acting after finishing her studies at Columbia University. She worked in theater in Maine and New York before returning to Virginia in 1970. At Rappahannock Westminster-Canterbury near Irvington, she was the featured speaker on "Sold Out Shadows: Indians and the American Revolution" for a meeting of the Daughters of the American Revolution, of which she was honorary regent of the William Byrd Chapter, District II membership chairman.
Volunteerism
She serves on the board of Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care. VIPCare is an interfaith, not-for-profit counseling and educational institute and one of the oldest leading pastoral counseling centers in the nation. VIPCare is accredited by the American Association of Pastoral Counselors and is a recipient of the Distinguished Program Leadership Award.
The solar farm was a natural outcome of her interest in environmental activism and clean energy.
Political activity
Broaddus-Crutchfield is active in Democratic Politics.
Broaddus-Crutchfield is a member of Liberal Women of Chesterfield County (LWCC), an organization of activists lobbying for the Democratic Party in Chesterfield County, Virginia and elsewhere. As a Democrat and a member of LWCC, she lobbys for causes in which she believes. She engages in canvassing for candidates in Chesterfield County and is one of the largest donors to Democratic national, state, and local candidates.
She is an environmental activist involved in protecting the rights of property owners and is a strong proponent of the Equal Rights Amendment. In February 2020 she read a statement in front of the Virginia capitol building, addressed to Republicans in the Virginia General Assembly in which she said, "“Stop killing democracy. . . .End your long-term obstruction of the Equal Rights Amendment.”
News reports stated, "Broaddus-Crutchfield said she’s been fighting for the ratification of the ERA since the 1970s when Congress sent it to the states for ratification. Advocates say one more state is needed to add the amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Opponents say the deadline to ratify has expired."
Biography
In an OpEd piece to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Frances Broaddus-Crutchfield discussed the best advice she'd ever been given.
Education
Francis attended in Richmond. She holds a bachelor's degree from Salem College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and a master's in theater arts from Columbia University.
George Crutchfield
She married George Crutchfield in 1995, and he shared Frances Broaddus-Crutchfield's charitable interests. In 2010 he supported her efforts as Powhatan Christmas Mother of the Year.
She made a large gift to Pauley Heart Center.

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