LARISSA CRAWFORD

Larissa Crawford proudly passes on Métis and Jamaican ancestry to her daughter, Zyra, and is a published Indigenous, anti-racism, and climate justice researcher, policy advisor, and restorative circle keeper with over 14 years of experience.

 

After graduating from York University in 2018 with a Double Major Honours B.A. in Communication Studies and International Development Studies- Summa Cum Laude and a baby on her hip- Larissa became disabled at 23 years old. As a result of racism experienced in the healthcare system, she had worsened and permanent debilitation that unnecessarily led to two life saving surgeries. While navigating these new realities, Larissa worked with the Government of Ontario as an Indigenous Policy Advisor with the Ministry of Energy, Northern Development, and Mines; as an Advisor at the Ontario Anti-Racism Directorate, Ministry of the Solicitor General; as a community mediator and restorative circle keeper with several organizations; and more. These experiences contributed to and informed Larissa’s expertise in energy systems and policy, public policy, workplace culture and policy, race-based data collection, restorative practice and conflict resolution, and decolonization and Indigenization in the workplace.

 

In 2019, Larissa reached a point where racism, ableism (discrimination associated with her disabilities), and ageism (discrimination associated with her age) in her workplaces were having real and serious impacts on her well-being and self-value. Larissa quit her last job and gave herself 4 months to start Future Ancestors Services. 

 

Future Ancestors Services is an Indigenous and Black-owned, youth-led professional services social enterprise that advances climate justice and systemic barrier removal with lenses of anti-racism and ancestral accountability. Through an intergenerational, disabled, and queer team of professionals and advisors, they provide speaking, training, research and consulting services, and influencer and interview services to +400 diverse clients. They do this while centering decolonized and Indigenized practices, and are constantly reimagining how we can learn, relate, and work together in healthy ways.

 

In 2022 Larissa was honoured with the York University One to Watch Alumni Award,  in Complex Canada’s 20 Creators Who Will Shape the Next 20 Years of The Culture, and in 2020-21 in Women of Influence’s Top 25 list; in Refinery Canada’s 29 Powerhouses; as York University’s Top 30 Under 30 Alumni; in HuffPost’s 26 Indigenous Influencers to Follow; and with the Pollution Probe Equity in Sustainability Award. She supports international brands such as Merrell, Nike, and The Body Shop, in better serving and representing her communities.