The African American Church House | Christopher S. Hunter | TEDxUniversityofMississippi

To know a movement you need to understand it’s history. According to Dr. Christopher S. Hunter, much attention has been given to the people and events of the Civil Rights movement, but little research exists on the actual buildings that housed the events and hosted the people. In his talk, Hunter explores the importance of the African American Church building, which represents (arguably) the first example of constructed material culture by and for African Americans in the United States. These early church buildings embody the concept of black space (or safe space) for African Americans and have survived many tumultuous events in American history by being resilient and resistant—qualities shared by the church congregants and their descendants.

Christopher S. Hunter, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Architecture at Mississippi State University. His academic research focus is the study of the socio-cultural influences on the design and construction of early African American church buildings constructed between 1800-1920s. He has written and presented numerous papers and presentations on this topic and hopes to broaden the study and teaching of the intersection of architectural history with African American history. Hunter practiced architecture in Dallas, Texas for several large firms before returning to academia.
Dr. Christopher Scott Hunter is an Assistant Professor of Architecture at Mississippi State University. An architectural historian, his research focuses on socio-cultural influences on the design and construction of early African American church buildings in the United States. Though many researchers have explored African American history and the civil rights movement, less attention has been paid “to the actual buildings that housed the events and hosted the people.” This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at

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