His parents grew up on former plantation fields in Wilkinson County, Mississippi. Christopher Hunter, 42, grew up on Detroit’s east side and would come to realize his privilege when as a child he would visit the town where his parents were raised, a place known for cotton-picking and enslavement of Black people.
“A lot of my peers didn’t have both of their parents growing up, let alone growing up on a farm,” said Hunter. “It was such a rich legacy.” Hunter explains his parents lived through the Jim Crow law era and it’s their pain and experiences that gave him the fuel to learn more. It’s what kept him on a drive at an early age to inquire about the oppression of African Americans.
“My purpose was understanding the oppression and to make change. I wasn’t reading ‘Cat and the Hat’ in elementary school. I was reading Fredrick Douglas as I started to emerge myself into the experiences of my parents and them running through the woods from the KKK”.
Hunter would lose focus and become victim to the streets as a teen growing up at Detroit’s Osborn High School. He hardly was present for class, his behavior got him suspended multiple times. He even was arrested by gang-squad police for orchestrating a short-lived group on how to sell drugs and make money. His life was spiraling completely out of control. However, good mentors stepped into his life and set him on the right track.
Despite Hunter’s father never attending high school, or neither of his parents pursuing higher education, Hunter’s mindset growing up was getting a job just as his dad had done by working years at an auto-manufacturing plant. After a rocky moment growing up as a teen in the 1990’s and getting kicked out of school, Hunter would become a first-generation college student in his family.
As a college football player at Wayne State University, he found his calling to give back by mentoring and advising high school students on the cusp of making the decision of prison or professionalism. “One of my first roles was asking a principal to give me your suspension list, because I was formally one of those students and wanted to give them the opportunity for change.”
Hunter continues his calling to drive impact and change, motivated by the experiences of his teen years and the racially troubled experiences of his southern parents – this time in a position of college leadership.
In January, Schoolcraft College selected Christopher Hunter as its first Director of Equity and Engagement. Hunter previously served as CORE (Collectively Oakland Retains Everyone) Program Coordinator, Center for Multicultural Initiatives, at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.
Christopher Hunter, Director of Equity and Engagement Director of Equity and Engagement (DEE) is a new position for the College, which is committed to the principles of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) across its campus. A particular focus will be to work with Schoolcraft College faculty, staff and students to assess and develop college-wide initiatives that support the College’s overall strategic plan to integrate IDEA best practices into all processes and infrastructure.
“We are extremely pleased to welcome Christopher Hunter to our team at Schoolcraft College,” Dr. Cerny said. “He is eminently qualified to lead the many initiatives to ensure IDEA will be inherent in the framework of all the College does. We look forward to furthering our progress and creating an even more inclusive and equitable environment for our students, faculty, staff and community members.”
Hunter holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wayne State University in Political Science and Government. He is working toward a Master of Arts degree in Public Administration and serves in leadership positions across a variety of organizations throughout Southeast Michigan.
“One of the key attributes Christopher possesses is long-term vision, which will especially enhance the College’s overall strategic plan,” Dr. Cerny added. “He also has an impressive and vast network of contacts both in and beyond higher education, which will be a great benefit to Schoolcraft College.”
“I’m excited for the opportunity to help lead Schoolcraft College’s equity and engagement efforts,” Hunter said. “I know the College has been working hard on many important initiatives to raise equity and engagement. I look forward to meeting everyone, getting to work and, most important, creating the inclusive environment that everyone associated with Schoolcraft College deserves.”
WATCH FULL VIDEO INTERVIEW, ABOVE.
CHRISTOPHER HUNTER’S ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEW w/ DIGITAL ANCHOR ANDRE ASH
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