Richard C. Speck

Richard is the Leadership Programs Coordinator for JustLeadershipUSA. Richard is a native of Detroit and a father of four children and 2 grandchildren. Richard was incarcerated multiple times ranging from fraud to armed robbery, which led him to a 18+ year stay at both Federal and state prisons. Mr.Speck is a gun violence survivor having lost his oldest daughter Bryanna to gun violence on February 19, 2019.

In the last 5 years of his incarceration he facilitated classes in critical thinking, effective communication, conflict resolution and ethical reasoning and leadership skills. Richard was successful at training individuals to resolve issues inside, which led to less incidents for prison staff. During this time, he developed a housing unit within the prison that allowed for a positive environment for men to work on their thinking. Mr. Speck’s belief system was that if you change the way an individual thinks you will indeed change the way that they respond or act.

Upon his release, Richard co-founded an organization L.U.C.K., Inc. that concentrates on the transformation of youth and Men and Women returning from Prison. The goal is to teach values and goals to these populations. His mission is to give back to the communities that he took so much from.

Mr. Speck started his post secondary education at Wayne Community College, but no degree will ever qualify him to train and mentor youth as much as his past failures and life experience. It is important for the youth to be able to identify and relate. Degrees are good but understanding where they are is golden. As a trained mediator, Richard volunteers his services to The Resolution Center. He mediates court cases and helps individuals resolve conflict and reach an agreement, instead of having to involve a judge.

Mr. Speck is an owner and operator of a commercial and residential painting company. His goal is to use that avenue to provide job training and employment to those in need of employment.

Currently, Mr. Speck is the Community Engagement Specialist at Safe and Just Michigan a non partisan organization located in Lansing, MI. Safe and Just Michigan works to advance policies that end Michigan’s over-use of incarceration and promote community safety and healing. We envision a Michigan in which all are safe in their communities and everyone is responsible for creating accountability, safety and justice.