Two congressional lawmakers who are descendants of enslaved peoples offered disparate opinions of America on Independence Day, illustrating the chasm between the right and the left about the nation’s principles.
Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) recognized the holiday on Twitter.
“The Declaration of Independence was written by enslavers and didn’t recognize Black people as human,” Ms. Bush wrote in a tweet. “Today is a great day to demand Reparations Now.”
Included in the tweet was the emoji of the “raised fist,” a symbol of solidarity among socialist revolutionaries and their causes, and a signature gesture of the Black Power movement.
American Pride
Mr. Hunt took part in an Independence Day parade in his district in Bunker Hill Village, Texas, a city of about 4,000 residents. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and an Army combat veteran, Hunt rode along the parade route in a military Humvee accompanied by his two daughters, Olivia, 4, and Victoria, 2.“It’s always been my favorite holiday, because it is the birthday of the greatest nation in the entire world,” Mr. Hunt told The Epoch Times. “And not only do I want to celebrate July 4, but I want to celebrate the entire month as America Pride Month.
“My team and I have drafted legislation to make July ‘America Pride Month.’ I think we should have a month dedicated to the greatest nation,” he said.
Mr. Hunt’s wife, Emily, is a pediatric nurse practitioner. She also attended the parade with their 6-month-old son, Willie. The Hunts have been married for five years.
Mr. Hunt represents Texas’ 38th Congressional District, newly formed in 2022 and solidly Republican. The district covers parts of Houston and the city’s suburbs. In the nine-person Republican primary, Mr. Hunt won 55 percent of the vote. In the general election, he beat Democrat Duncan Klussmann, 63 percent to 35 percent.
Victory in the 2022 race represented a quick turnaround and a redemption for Mr. Hunt who, two years earlier, lost his first election bid in a run for Texas’ 7th Congressional District. Mr. Hunt won 61 percent of the vote in a six-person primary but lost in the general election to Democrat incumbent Rep. Lizzie Fletcher.
Mr. Hunt is a staunch conservative. He supports protecting the border, the Second Amendment, being pro-life, promoting fiscal responsibility, and is pro-Israel.
He is also an enthusiastic supporter of former President Donald Trump.
Family Legacy
Mr. Hunt’s great-great grandfather and great-great grandmother were held in bondage as slaves at Rosedown Plantation in Saint Francisville, Louisiana. The plantation has been preserved and is an official state historic site open to the public.Mr. Hunt does not shy away from this family background. In fact, he emphasizes this aspect of the legacy of which he is a part.
He is no cheerleader for affirmative action or race-based diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies He says he is not a victim and is not looking for any special treatment.
DEI policies are being rolled back across the country, most notably with the Supreme Court’s recent ruling against affirmative action, stating that it is unconstitutional for colleges and universities to factor in race when making decisions on who is admitted to their student bodies.
Bills to dismantle or weaken DEI in colleges and universities have been filed in 23 states. Governors in Florida, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas have signed anti-DEI bills into law.
Mr. Hunt grew up in Houston. He credits his parents, who still live in the Houston area, with raising him with the right values and the right priorities, and he said they remain active in the community and fully support their son’s political efforts. Mr. Hunt’s father served 23 years in the U.S. Army, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.
The Hunts were devoutly religious Baptists who attended church two to three times a week.
Mr. Hunt has two siblings who are also West Point graduates.
His sister, D'Hania Hunt, is 10 years older than him and served 23 years in the military. His brother, Wrendon Hunt, graduated from the academy a year after Mr. Hunt and went on to serve five years in the U.S. Navy.
Understanding History
“Our parents were influential in making sure that we understood our history and where we’ve came from,” said Mr. Hunt. “And they were always big on talking about the past so we could talk about how far we’ve come in a very short period of time, and to talk about the progression from slavery to my dad becoming a lieutenant colonel.“My father, who just turned 74, grew up in Louisiana during a period of segregation. He never had a single class with a white person, kindergarten through college.
“My parents told us that we can’t talk about where we are right now if we don’t know our history. And if we don’t have that perspective, then it’s very easy to get caught up in making yourself the victim instead of looking at and understanding all the progress that we have made.”
Mr. Hunt said his family didn’t talk politics at home when he was growing up.
“You know, and this is interesting, growing up, I actually didn’t know how my parents voted or whom they voted for,” he said. “I think it was a kind of carry-over rule for my father. In the military, you’re kind of just apolitical.
“And for whatever reason, growing up into my adolescent years and going through high school, it was just never a thing for us to talk politics in the house.”
Mr. Hunt graduated from St. John’s School, a prestigious and highly competitive independent school in Houston.
He remembers the lessons and classes that dealt with episodes of injustice and brutality, including the stain of slavery, in American history.
Faith in God
Following graduation from St. John’s, he accepted a commission to West Point. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in leadership management with a field of study in mechanical engineering.Mr. Hunt served in the U.S. Army for eight years as an aviation officer and an Apache attack helicopter pilot, including three overseas deployments.
He flew 55 Apache combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Mr. Hunt explained how his faith supported and “galvanized” him when his service put his life on the line.
“Whenever you’re flying missions, and you know you’re going to get shot at or you’re going to have to engage the enemy, you have a feeling that you might not make it back. So, before every single mission, I wanted to get right with God.
“Before I crawled into the cockpit, I said the Lord’s Prayer and asked that, even if I did not make it back, God would take care of my parents and my family.”
After his honorable discharge from the military, Mr. Hunt went on to Cornell University where he earned three master’s degrees in business administration, public administration, and industrial and labor relations.
A Conservative Platform
A fundamental component of how Mr. Hunt views his role in public life is as an emissary for the message that America, while not perfect, offers great opportunity for all, and protects natural rights for all, no matter the color of one’s skin or religion or sexuality or ethnic lineage.“My great-great grandfather who was a slave was born on a plantation near Baton Rouge, Louisiana,” he said. “I can’t imagine what that was like, and what he went through. And three of his great-great grandchildren graduated from West Point. Three of his great-great grandchildren served their country. That is a story I want to share.”
Mr. Hunt says that the future needs to be about unity and achieving accomplishments together, not tearing each other apart.
“We’re dividing ourselves along racial lines. Well, we’ve fought that battle. We fought that war. That is why I am a congressman in a white-majority district. I beat out nine white men in a Republican primary, and a white Democrat male in the general election,” he said.
“All these things are happening in this country because good people stood up and fought for the future of America.”
Mr. Hunt believes in protecting national security through a policy of “peace through strength.” He sees that American leadership is lacking and it is imperiling the country’s security.
“This is the weakest America has been in my lifetime. Look at what is happening with Ukraine and Russia. Look at what is happening with China and Taiwan. Iran is on its path to having a nuclear weapon. Look at the unrest in the Horn of Africa.
Issues Affecting Texas
The Houston area is not along the southern border, but Texas is a border state, and people in Mr. Hunt’s district and throughout the state experience the consequences of how illegal immigration is handled along the border.“Enough fentanyl has passed across the border into the country to kill every American four times,” said Mr. Hunt. “We’ve had almost seven million people enter the country illegally, that we know of. Are we a country of laws or are we not a country of laws?
“Crime is spiking, and it stems from having a porous border. Kamala Harris refuses to do anything to address this issue. And at some point, this administration has to own this.
“When we give people in other parts of the country a taste of what the people of Texas are dealing with every day, when we put migrants on planes and fly them to a neighborhood near you, they say that is ridiculous and terrible to do that,“ he said. ”Well, how do you think people feel down here in Texas?”
Mr. Hunt’s district includes the Houston Energy Corridor, an area and sector of the economy he wants to help grow and solidify as a leader in the global future of energy.
“The Energy Corridor is to energy what Wall Street is to finance and business, and what Silicon Valley is to technology. Every major energy company has a presence and is part of the footprint of this area.
Keeping Promises
Mr. Hunt says he is energized and inspired with his job in Congress. He is also grateful for the role.“When I ran for Congress the first time and lost, it was devastating. I had worked so hard, and I lost.
“I had a promise to keep with God, and we had an agreement. It was, if God said, ‘Don’t quit. Trust the path I’ve laid down. Don’t forsake me,’ then you’re going to have a place in Congress. And two years later, I end up running in a district that is newly drawn, that not only has my own church in it but also my high school.
“I was able to get through the dark time because of my belief and trust in the Almighty,” he said. “Every single day is rooted in the hope that God gives us all. ”
