In June 2020, The Hunt Institute’s namesake, Governor Jim Hunt, and our President & CEO, Javaid Siddiqi, made a statement about the unrest happening around the country, in direct response to the unjust killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, but more broadly as a result of racially-motivated violence that has plagued this country for centuries.
"What we are experiencing now is a pivotal moment in our nation’s history that not only underscores our mission at The Hunt Institute, but also fortifies our commitment to catalyze change through public education."
-Governor Jim Hunt and Dr. Javaid Siddiqi
The ongoing unrest inspired The Hunt Institute to recommit in new ways to achieving equity in our education system – informing policymakers and state leaders on underlying issues to affect positive change. Read the full statement here.
Equity is foundational in all of our core programming, and we have focused initiatives in a few key areas.
The Hunt Institute’s webinar series commits to honest conversations on the issues of race embedded in public education.
Check out our Race & Education Webinar Series
The Developing a Representative and Inclusive Vision for Education (DRIVE) Task Force came together to create strategies for the teacher population in North Carolina to accurately reflect the diversity of its student population.
Learn More About the DRIVE Task Force
In partnership with the John M. Belk Endowment, we have designed a Fellowship with the goal of building future leaders in the area of social impact.
“He had promised new faces in state government. He appointed the first African-American cabinet secretary, naming Howard Lee, the first Black mayor of Chapel Hill, as secretary of the Department of National Resources and Community Development. Harold Webber became the first African-American director of the North Carolina Office of State Personnel. Webb had been a teacher, a principal, and deputy state schools superintendent. He was also key member of a tight-knit group of Black political leader in Raleigh. Hunt appointed women to his cabinet. Sarah Morrow, Director of the Guildford County Health Department in Greensboro, became secretary of the Department of Human Resources, while Sarah Hodgkins from Southern Pines was named secretary of the Department of Cultural Resources.”
Jim Hunt: A Biography
