Leah Hunt-Hendrix

Leah Hunt-Hendrix
Born
Leah Hunt-Hendrix
NationalityAmerican
Alma materDuke University (BA)
Princeton University (PhD)
Occupation(s)Progressive activist
Author
Parent(s)Helen LaKelly Hunt (mother)
Harville Hendrix (father)
RelativesH. L. Hunt (grandfather)
Haela Hunt-Hendrix (sister)
Lamar Hunt (uncle)
Caroline Rose Hunt (aunt)
Clark Hunt (cousin)

Leah Hunt-Hendrix is an American political activist and author.[1] A member of the wealthy Hunt family, Hunt-Hendrix is the co-founder of progressive political organization Way to Win[2][3] and philanthropy network Solidaire.[4][3] She serves on the board of directors of the Action Center on Race and the Economy,[5] the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft,[6] and the Nation Fund for Independent Journalism.[7]

Hunt-Hendrix is a senior advisor at the American Economic Liberties Project,[8] and an advisor to her family foundation, the Sister Fund.[9] She completed her undergraduate degree at Duke University[10] and received a PhD from Princeton University.

Early life and education

Leah Hunt-Hendrix was born and raised in New York City.[11] Her parents are Helen LaKelly Hunt and Harville Hendrix.[12]

Hunt-Hendrix is the granddaughter of prominent Texas oil tycoon H.L. Hunt. In 1964, The New York Times reported that he was "one of the richest men in the United States."[13][14] Other notable members of her family include her sister Haela Hunt-Hendrix, her aunts former US ambassador to Austria Swanee Hunt[15] and founder of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts Caroline Rose Hunt.[16] She is the niece of American Football League (AFL) and Kansas City Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt.[17] Her uncles also include Nelson Bunker Hunt and William Herbert Hunt, who gained notoriety in the late 1970s in an attempt to corner the silver market.[18]

In 2005, Hunt-Hendrix earned a bachelor's degree in political science and governance from Duke University.[10] At Princeton University, she completed a doctorate in religion, ethics, and politics in 2013.[19][20] Her doctoral research focused on the concept of solidarity under the advisement of Jeffrey Stout, Eric Gregory, and Cornel West.[21][22][23][24]

Activism and journalism

In the early part of the 2010s, Hunt-Hendrix was a participant in the Occupy Wall Street movement.[22][25][26][27] She has since founded three activist organizations: Solidaire, Way to Win, and the Emergent Fund.[27][28]

In 2012, Hunt-Hendrix co-founded Solidaire, a network of rich individuals on the left-wing committed to funding progressive social movements with a focus on racial and economic justice.[20] She served for five years as the group's executive director.[29]

Hunt-Hendrix co-founded Way to Win in 2017 with Victoria Gavito and Jenifer Ancona. The progressive political organization was established to support progressive candidates and movements. Way to Win has emphasized its strategy to flip elections in red states, particularly in the US South and Southwest, and to expand the base of Democratic voters.[30] During the 2020 election cycle, Way to Win said it had deployed over $110 million in funding, with 85% directly supporting state programs.[2][31]

Immediately after Donald Trump’s election in 2016, Hunt-Hendrix co-founded the Emergent Fund, which said it was designed to move resources to communities that were deemed vulnerable to potential attacks from new federal policies and priorities.[32][33]

Hunt-Hendrix is the co-author of the book Solidarity: The Past, Present, and the Future of a World Changing Idea, due to be published in 2024 by Pantheon Books, with Astra Taylor.[34][20]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Leah Hunt-Hendrix on Taking a Page from Occupy Wall Street with Solidaire -". Avenue Magazine. 2016-09-28. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
  2. ^ a b "About Us". Way to Win. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  3. ^ a b Rojc, Philip (2020-08-04). "How Donor and Organizer Leah Hunt-Hendrix Uses Generational Wealth to Back Social Movements". Inside Philanthropy. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  4. ^ "Who We Are". Solidaire Network. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  5. ^ "Board of Directors". Action Center on Race and the Economy. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  6. ^ "Leah Hunt-Hendrix, Author at Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft". Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  7. ^ "About Us". The Nation Fund for Independent Journalism. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  8. ^ "Leah Hunt-Hendrix". American Economic Liberties Project. Retrieved 2021-12-31.
  9. ^ https://philanthropywomen.org/philanthropy-women-funder-database/the-sister-fund/
  10. ^ a b "University Programs Honor Top Students". Duke Today. 2005-05-13. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  11. ^ podcast, the NEXT ECONOMY NOW (2018-01-17). "Leah Hunt-Hendrix: Building the Next Economy in Solidarity with Resistance Movements". Medium. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  12. ^ "Women's Activism NYC". www.womensactivism.nyc. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  13. ^ Bauer, James L., H. L. Hunt: The Richest and the Rightest, NET Journal, H. L. Hunt, Charles Baker, Franklin Littell, Television station : Houston, Tex.: KUHT-TV, retrieved 2023-07-19
  14. ^ "H L. Hunt:Magnate with Mission; One of Richest Men in Nation, Oilman Aids Right Wing". The New York Times. 1964-08-17. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  15. ^ "Ambassador Swanee Hunt | Wilson Center". www.wilsoncenter.org. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  16. ^ "The Rosewood Difference". Rosewood Corporation. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  17. ^ "NFL 100". NFL.com. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  18. ^ "Silver Thursday | Causes, Impact & Aftermath | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  19. ^ Hunt-Hendrix, Leah (2013). "The Ethics of Solidarity". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  20. ^ a b c Marantz, Andrew (2023-08-07). "What Should You Do with an Oil Fortune?". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
  21. ^ "Cash, Speed, and Trust". Mlsiliconvalley.com. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  22. ^ a b Rothbaum, Rebecca (2011-10-20). "Occupy Wall Street - Some 'One Percenters' Join Anti-Wealth Protesters". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  23. ^ Impact, Invested (2017-03-15). "Innovator Insights: Leah Hunt-Hendrix, Founder of Solidaire Network". Invested Impact. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  24. ^ "Jewish Insider's Daily Kickoff: August 28, 2017". Haaretz. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  25. ^ Hunt-Hendrix, Leah (February 27, 2012). "Occupy, the brand". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on March 18, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  26. ^ Rothbaum, Rebecca (October 20, 2011). "Super-wealthy join protesters on Wall Street [Internet]". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on January 22, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  27. ^ a b Myerson, J. A (March 17, 2012). "Occupy's heiress: Leah Hunt-Hendrix, the granddaughter of an oil and gas billionaire, is determined to radicalize America's wealthy". Salon. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
  28. ^ Garofoli, Joe (2018-11-11). "Democrats find grassroots organizing might be key to 2020". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-05-11.
  29. ^ "Solidaire Network". InfluenceWatch. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  30. ^ Freedlander, David (2022-11-04). "Drinking Enemies: Two Cocktail Parties that Reveal the Schism in the Millennial Left". POLITICO. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  31. ^ Win, Way To. "Way to Win Announces Over $85M Moved as Part of their "Plan to Win," A Roadmap for Winning Progressive Power at Every Level of Government". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  32. ^ "Emergent Fund". InfluenceWatch. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  33. ^ "Emergent Fund". Giving Compass. 2017-10-02. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  34. ^ "Solidarity by Leah Hunt-Hendrix, Astra Taylor: 9780593701249 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved 2023-07-18.