POCAM National Indigenous History Month 2024 Profile: Krystal Summers
Written By: Natalie Bomberry, Sr. Director, Communications and Creative Strategy, Rewiring America and Steering Committee member of POCAM - People of Colour in Advertising & Marketing
Boozhoo (Hello!), #CanadianDesignAdvertisingCommunicators, meet Krystal Summers (she/her/kwe), Senior Director at Castlemain, a leading Indigenous advisory firm.
Krystal is a registered member of Long Lake #58 First Nation, but her family’s traditional territory & community is Nagagamisis First Nation. Her role and journey demonstrates the vital role cultural sensitivity and respect play in this industry and why Indigenous representation matters.
“My career began as a clinical social worker, working with Indigenous children, youth, and families. My focus shifted towards teaching, community-based research & non-profit management. In 2020, I made the transition to a consulting firm, drawn by the opportunity to contribute to the Indian Day School settlement.” Krystal now works in collaboration with the Claims Administrator for the First Nations Child and Family Services and Jordan’s Principle Settlement.
Lack of Indigenous representation in this industry is apparent to Krystal. “A career in this field seems less common among Indigenous peoples, a concern given the need for our presence across all industries. Indigenous professionals need to see inclusion efforts take into account the unique socio-historical context of Indigenous peoples, communities and Nations. Addressing systemic inequities requires executive leaders to commit personally and organizationally to continuous learning & embrace diverse ways of thinking, being, and working.”
Krystal leans on her experience to deal with bias, microaggressions and racism but it’s not easy. “As a trained social justice advocate, it’s natural for me to address instances of microaggressions or culturally insensitive requests directly. However addressing conversations directly can be felt or interpreted as ‘calling out’ [someone], and sometimes that equates to a response that minimizes the felt impact [on Indigenous peoples] to one that asks Indigenous peoples to have more ‘grace’ with non-Indigenous persons who ‘are still learning’ and therefore did not intend to cause harm. These rebuttals are incredibly frustrating sentiments to diffuse, and it usually requires me to retreat and debrief with my own circle of trusted allies and support persons.”
There is movement in the right direction that keeps Krystal’s attraction to the industry. “What I value is the richness in collaborative ideation and diverse experiences that everyone brings to the table. Team learning happens when we can respectfully interrogate our own biases or assumptions in how we communicate, and that is the part I love.”
Krytals’ advice to young Indigenous talent entering this industry. “Build a support network, ideally one that is diverse in its make up. Having a relationship with an Elder or older Indigenous person as a mentor helps to keep one's spirit and heart nourished.”
Follow Krystal on LinkedIn and if you or someone you know has ever said “there are no Indigenous people available for hire in this industry”, Krystal ask you to read up on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action #92 and then commit to doing something about it: https://www.ccab.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/small-business_english.pdf
