Richard Craighead | The Builder

Presented by UPMC

BY BRENDAN SALYARDS | MANAGER, ECONOMIC INITIATIVES

The builder that Richard Craighead is today, both for his profession and work within the community, goes back to his family and the experiences his parents showed him. Born in Lancaster, Richard’s family moved to York soon after his birth, and he and his family quickly became part of the fabric of the York community. His mother was a community leader, organizing clean-ups of their block on Duke and Maple where he lived, and secured grant funding to install gates to the alleyways for community members. He participated in the programming offered by Crispus Attucks and was greatly influenced by mentors there.

Richard’s father worked in the construction industry, and Richard gained experience as a kid helping his father with remodeling projects. After graduating from William Penn High School, Richard attended Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, where he studied carpentry. He previously worked for the City of York and a construction company before opening his own business in 2020, Rich and Sons Construction

Richard is a business owner, but he also strives to make a broader impact through his community involvement and non-profit leadership. Through his involvement with the Boys Club of York (BYC), where he serves as President/Head Coach, BYC provides a formative experience for the hundreds of children who participate in its sports and recreational programming. In the coming months, they will have monthly meetings and activities to provide consistent touchpoints, even in the off-season. BYC recently renewed its nonprofit status to facilitate the goal of raising $100,000 to expand the breadth of activities and events offered.

Earlier this year, as chair of the Racial Justice Committee for the YWCA of York, he supported the organizing of the inaugural State of Black Life Summit, which explored the past, present, and future of Black life in the City of York. The Racial Justice Committee also organized a panel discussion with each of the candidates for the 95th State House District and a series of events focused on Black Maternal Health, with additional events being organized in February with a month-long weekly event for the annual Black Life in York Summit, culminating in a gala at the end of the month.

Though Richard continues to support his community, he has one thing he’d like to continue to change about York: “I would help create equity of the mind, changing the subconscious thoughts that people have. Laws and regulations may not always work because of loopholes, but if everyone approached things with an equitable state of mind, it would impact the whole community.”

Inclusive Arts York, of which Richard is a founder, works to change mindsets and empower York’s Black community and has organized meaningful events, including the showing of films such as 13th and documentaries on Black self- confidence and expression of feelings. The organization also created short films of its own, such as I Am, a portrait of black men that sought to break down stereotypes about the lives of Black men in York. Inclusive Arts York also organized a photo series called Assemblage, which highlighted Black and brown people in their greatness while empowering them and breaking down stereotypes.

For those members of the community who want to support, Richard has some advice: “Show up and continue to do that. Talking is important. It helps to change the mentality and shapes the way that you deal with things around you. Your mindset creates what you can do.”

Richard Craighead is a father, a business owner, a coach, a nonprofit leader, an artist, and a Changemaker. While these numerous titles highlight the extent of his community involvement, the title of 'father' is the most meaningful to him. He is driven by a passion to make change and improve opportunities for his two sons and the many sons and daughters throughout our community. “Everything I do is for my kids, to improve the community for them, and to show them that they can make an impact.”