Edith Crutchfield interview, 2018-12-14

Item

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

In this oral history interview, Edith Crutchfield, a long time D.C. resident, discusses her life and experiences moving from Culpeper, Virginia, to Washington, D.C. Mrs. Crutchfield discusses her upbringing in Culpeper, Virginia, moving to D.C. at age sixteen, and the racial and cultural similarities/differences between the District and the Culpeper. She also discusses the current political climate and the regression she has seen in recent years.

Dates

Creation: 2018-12-14

Creator

Crutchfield, Edith Amanda, 1936- (Person)
Ramos-Bracho, Isabella (Person)

Language of Materials

English

Biographical / Historical

Edith Crutchfield was born on August 28th, 1936, in Culpeper, Virginia. Though Culpeper was segregated, she grew up across the street from a medical professional building, which housed white residents. Ms. Crutchfield remarks that though Culpeper was segregated, this was more integration than she experienced living in D.C. due to housing segregation in the city. Ms. Crutchfield came to the District in 1953 at age sixteen and moved in with her oldest sister and brother-in-law. She studied communication at Howard University as well as the University of the District of Columbia and went on to have a career working in libraries. She worked at libraries within the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) before retiring from the public sector in 1995. Ms. Crutchfield then began work in private law firms. She had one daughter who passed away in 2015.