Hunter Shackelford is a cultural death worker whose work is focused on giving breath to the dead, transforming the cultural understandings of dying, and expanding our lexicon for Black gender expansive and abundant bodies. Their research and writing is focused on Death Work, Black Queer and Trans Feminisms, Ugly Politics, and Fat Politics.

Hunter uses visual art, cultural writing, and data science as a Southern storyteller to curate new understandings of Black people at the margins. They are the creator of the Fat Census and believe in transforming the politics of data collection and data for change. Hunter has also been recognized for their visual art such as their Trans Day of Remembrance artwork for Forward Together and their viral zine Ugly AF: An Introduction to Desire Politics. Additionally, Hunter is published for their writing in Teen Vogue, For Harriet, The Feminist Wire, Afropunk, Wear Your Voice, Telesur, and most recently, The Routledge International Fat Studies Handbook.

In their time as a cultural artist, Hunter has also served as a grassroots racial justice organizer and has built communities locally and nationally to create new worlds beyond antiblackness. From these experiences, Hunter has developed a deep praxis rooted in people power and accountability.

Hunter earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University and attended Morgan State University to study Africana History graduate studies. They have worked within the fields of nonprofit grassroots organizing in Atlanta, served as a staff writer and associate editor at Wear Your Voice, and are currently dominating in the cultural strategy field to better serve the visions and missions of global Black and fat liberation.