Brittany D. Hunt, Ph.D. has joined the faculty in the Virginia Tech School of Education as an assistant professor in the foundations of education program. She earned her bachelor’s in psychology from Duke University, her MSW degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and her doctorate in curriculum and instruction from University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Hunt already has an impressive record of scholarly activity, with twelve publications in refereed journals, along with two book chapters and numerous policy and research briefs.

Most recently, she was a postdoctoral research associate at Duke University. As a doctoral student, she presented a powerful TEDx talk, “I am my Grandmother’s Granddaughter: Indigenous Resilience in the Academy.” Her work was included in a museum exhibit featured in the Museum of the Southeast American Indian at UNC Pembroke entitled, “Lumbee: A people and a place.” Additionally, she is the founder of Indigenous Ed LLC, through which she provides workshops, consulting, and lectures to universities, organizations, and school systems to eradicate stereotypes, promote anti-racist pedagogies, and center Indigenous stories. Marcus Weaver Hightower, professor and leader of the social foundations of education program expressed excitement about his new colleague, “Dr. Hunt adds a tremendous amount of energy and expertise to our teaching about diversity and inclusion in schools!”

Hunt’s current work explores how K-12 educational systems disenfranchise Native history in the classroom, and explores the effects that erasure has on American consciousness and Native cultural identity.

“Dr. Hunt leverages multimedia to promote equity work related to indigeneity and to advance social justice,” shared Kristin Gehsmann, director of the VT School of Education. Hunt is the co-host of the Red Justice Project, a podcast that brings awareness to the many cases of missing and murdered Indigenous people in North America and the erasure of Indigenous peoples in America media.  Her podcast was recently featured by Apple Podcasts and has reached over 100,000 downloads to date. She is also the author of the Lumbee children’s picture book titled Whoz Ya People?

image of the cover of the book Whoz Ya People? written by Brittany Hunt

Amy Price Azano, associate professor of adolescent literacy and rural education, was also enthusiastic. “We are so fortunate to welcome Dr. Hunt to our faculty. As a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, she offers colleagues and students an important perspective on the experiences of Native students and how we can do more and better to meet the needs of historically marginalized groups. She has already worked to develop a course on rural Indigenous education. Her community-engaged research will be a critical asset to the School of Education.”

Hunt shared, "I am so thrilled to begin my role at Virginia Tech in the School of Education where I know I'll be amongst a fantastic group of scholars.  I look forward to the ways that I can center Indigenous peoples in the classroom and in my research and to collaborate with folks across the campus community and beyond."

In her TEDx talk, Hunt shares her experience of never having a Native professor during her collegiate career. Now she gets something better: the chance to be one.

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Written by Sharon Flynn Stidham