Chris Crutchfield

Chris Crutchfield is the CEO of Ujamaa Place, a nonprofit that works with young African-American men and helps them to succeed.

Chris is an attorney and was the Deputy Director of Community Relations for Ramsey County Community Corrections. He is also an adjunct professor at Inver Hills Community College, where he teaches litigation to paralegals. Before that, Chris was a Committee Administrator at the Minnesota House of Representatives and partner at Capitol Heights Law Group, where he successfully secured one of the largest gender equity settlements in Minnesota.

Since the mid-1980s, Chris has been involved in outdoor education, focusing on anti-racism and race equity. These programs include Underground Railroad re-enactments and other cultural outdoor programs for youth. For over ten years, he also served on the Audubon Center of the Northwoods board, a.k.a. Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning Center.

Education: Bachelor's in political science from Morehouse College in Atlanta, JD from the University of Minnesota Law School
 
Interests or hobbies: "I have five children and love spending time with them. I also love to fish, specifically for walleye, pike, crappie and trout. I am an avid sports fan, enjoying amateur and professional baseball and college and professional football. Go Buckeyes!"

Community engagement: "I am deeply engaged in my St. Paul African community. I am the CEO of a small community-based organization that works with African American men ages 18 through 30, many of whom are coming out of incarceration. In addition, I oversee a small nonprofit that facilitates the Underground Railroad reenactment. This experiential education program takes participants out into the woods at night to teach them about African American history. As an attorney, I usually provide five to 10 hours of pro bono legal work a month to community folk who cannot afford an attorney."

FMR involvement: Joining the board in 2024, Chris had long been an admirer of FMR and "known of FMR's excellent work for over a decade" through his relationships with Executive Director Whitney Clark and other staff. 
 
Favorite metro Mississippi River location: "My two favorite Mississippi River locations are down by the riverboat docks in downtown St. Paul and the stretch of the river close to the airport in Brainerd. The riverbank in downtown St. Paul is special to me because it is rich in African American history. It was where many African Americans first landed in Minnesota and where some of the first escaped slaves arrived, including a group towed on a raft behind a steamboat that formed the first African American church in Minnesota (Pilgrim Baptist). I also love the stretch of river near Brainerd airport because it has outstanding fishing for almost all species of gamefish."
 
Conservation and environmental heroes: George Washington Carver
 
Why I serve on the FMR Board: "I am excited to serve on the board of Friends of the Mississippi River. Like the Nile and the Amazon, the Mississippi River is one of the most famous rivers in the world. It has become iconic for Minnesotans, Americans, and worldwide. I've spent time on the river in Minnesota, and I've also spent time down in the Mississippi Delta. I believe the Mississippi River is the most significant body of water in the United States.

"It deeply concerns me that this river has been almost loved and used to death and, as a result, suffers from many issues. It also saddens me that I am currently concerned about eating fish out of the Mississippi. I believe that cleaning, repairing and stewarding of our nation's most iconic landmarks is a noble cause."

Favorite quotes:
"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." —Martin Luther King Jr.
"You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need." —Mick Jagger