Deb Hunter is a USA Today best selling author, historian & podcaster. A former executive director of the World Chamber of Commerce, she is active in Atlanta’s British-American Business Council.
Her journey with the Cherokee Nation began in 2021 when she contacted them for permission to explore their history for a Civil War discussion. That lead to numerous conversations. They even scoured records to see if there were mentions of the English communicating with the Tribe in the 1600s. Deb could include that in their history on her All Things Tudor podcast.
The latest revelation by Secretary Deb Haaland of the Indian Boarding School Initiative is synergistic as the report includes a Cherokee School in Chattanooga TN – the Brainerd Mission – and Deb is originally from Chattanooga.
Note: She worked with a historian from the Cherokee Nation to verify this information.
Recommended books:
- Amazon.com: Serving the Nation: Cherokee Sovereignty and Social Welfare, 1800–1907 (New Directions in Native American Studies Series Book 14) eBook : Reed, Julie L.: Kindle Store
- Cherokee Renascence in the New Republic, William G. McLoughlin
Research aids:
- Brainerd Mission | Finding Aids | Special Collections | University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (utc.edu) 45830ea6-3402-4dcf-8320-16e58d5425d1 (nps.gov) (pgs 20-23 are the most accurate account in this document)
- Cherokee Phoenix | NEW ECHOTA | Volume 2, Number 19; Published August, 12, 1829 (wcu.edu)
- Missionary Activities Among the Cherokee Indians, 1757-1838 (tennessee.edu)(good history of Brainerd starting around p. 74)
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Follow Deb at www.AllThingsTudor.com or on social media as @theDebATL.
Jed Mescon is a relationship builder, brand ambassador, dynamic speaker, creative thinker, persuasive communicator, veteran fundraiser, and community advocate. He is well known in Chattanooga having served as the host of the radio talk show Chewin the Chatt and as the morning news anchor for WRCB-TV.
Glynn Hodges is a certified Keynote Speaker, Coach and Teacher. and Executive Director at The John Maxwell Team. His story, which began in rural Georgia, is an international inspiration. He is the Former President/ Owner at ATS Staffing Services and Former Sales manager at Westinghouse. As a Coach and Motivational Speaker, Glynn helps people discover their “Why” the John Maxwell way. His mantra is Helping You To Be The Best You.
Chattanooga Council Against Hate
Lily Sanchez, a first-generation Dominican-American, is the Communications Coordinator for La Paz Chattanooga and serves its Latinx community. She graduated with a degree in Communication and English Writing from the U. of Tennessee at Chattanooga where she founded the Spanish Language version of the campus newspaper.
Vincent Ivan Phipps is an expert on Communication expertise for diverse styles as a Speech Coach, author, and owner of Communication VIP Training and Coaching.
Dr. Elwood Watson is an expert on Race, Diversity and Inclusion in the classroom. He is a Professor of History and African American Studies at East Tennessee State University. His areas of specialty are in 20th Century Post World War II U.S. History, African American History, African American Studies, Gender Studies, Popular Culture, and ethnographic studies. He is one of the editors of Mentoring Faculty of Color: Essays on Professional Development and Advancement in Colleges and Universities. He is the recipient of the Faculty Teaching Award and Faculty Distinguished Research Award from the College of Arts & Science.