Meet the Team

Zola Richardson, Community & Government Relations Specialist

Zola Richardson (she/her/they/them) is a narrative strategist, writer, and visual storyteller whose work is informed by the abundance and sacredness of Black life. Her professional and creative practices align with the earthly requirement to be in better understanding with our histories and our human complexities. She creates to mend generational bloodlines.

At Canopy, Zola fosters trust and raises awareness of Canopy's clinical services and mental health first responder program, especially within historically underserved and marginalized communities in Minnesota. She collaborates with staff from Canopy MHC and Canopy Roots to develop and maintain partnerships, organize logistics and participation for community engagement events, and represent Canopy in media relations and advocacy initiatives.

Zola has over five years of experience in community organizing, leading strategic communication campaigns, and mobilizing Minneapolis residents for positive change, including serving as a Narrative and Communications Strategist at Reclaim the Block. Additionally, she is a member of the Burn Something Collective, working to support Black and POCI femme, nonbinary, and trans artists, writers, and curators, and a 2020 Black Futures Lab Policy Institute Fellow.