Renard Monczunski

Renard Monczunski grew up in a single-father household along with his sister, and attended Detroit public schools where he earned his diploma from David Mackenzie High School. He is ethnically West-African (Mende tribe), First Nations (Cherokee Nation and Anishinaabe Aki), and Lithuanian/Polish. Renard is also a first-generation college graduate and proud alumnus of the University of Michigan, class of 2011. There, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology. 

He has been involved in various social justice campaigns throughout his youth, first learning how to organize when his Detroit high school was slated for permanent closure. He has also been involved in several campaigns including Citizen's United in Colorado, the Raise The Wage Michigan campaign – to raise the minimum wage–and is a dedicated supporter of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicare for all. 

Renard has been a bus rider for over 15 years and has lived in Detroit since 1994. His mentor, Linda Campbell, and his connection with  bus riders who have experienced inadequate and unreliable public transportation access in Detroit inspired him to organize for transit justice. He has been an organizer with the Detroit People's Platform since 2014, starting as volunteer canvasser for the Community Benefits Agreement Campaign. 

Currently, Renard facilitates a leadership volunteer group, called the Transit Justice Team. It is comprised of organized bus riders in Detroit. The Transit Justice Team regularly engages with bus riders and the Detroit Department of Transportation. The group typically meets twice a week where they learn leadership development, organizing skills, political education, and policy advocacy. Renard is also involved with the Earned Sick Leave and One Fair Wage campaigns and is a 2015–Economic Justice Alliance of Michigan alum. He continues to live in Detroit, organizing for racial justice, equity, and transit justice.