Michael Eric Dyson: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|American academic and ordained minister}} | {{Short description|American academic and ordained minister (born 1958)}} | ||
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| thesis_url = https://catalog.princeton.edu/catalog/809699 | | thesis_url = https://catalog.princeton.edu/catalog/809699 | ||
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| influences = [[Manning Marable]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.democracynow.org/2011/4/4/making_malcolm_the_myth_and_meaning|title=Manning Marable's New Malcolm X Biography Investigates Conflicted Reality of the Civil Rights Leader|website=Democracy Now!}}</ref> | | influences = [[Manning Marable]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.democracynow.org/2011/4/4/making_malcolm_the_myth_and_meaning|title=Manning Marable's New Malcolm X Biography Investigates Conflicted Reality of the Civil Rights Leader|website=[[Democracy Now!]]|date=April 4, 2011}}</ref> | ||
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| discipline = [[Sociology]] | | discipline = [[Sociology]] | ||
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'''Michael Eric Dyson''' (born October 23, 1958) is an American [[academic]], author, [[Baptist minister]], and radio host. He is a professor in the College of Arts and Science and in the Divinity School at [[Vanderbilt University]].<ref name=vandy/> Described by Michael A. Fletcher as "a [[Princeton University|Princeton]] [[Ph.D.]] and a child of the streets who takes pains never to separate the two",<ref name=JBHE/> Dyson has authored or edited more than twenty books dealing with subjects such as [[Race (human categorization)|race]], [[religion]] and politics as well as biographies on [[Malcolm X]], [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], [[Marvin Gaye]], [[Barack Obama]], [[Bill Cosby]], [[Tupac Shakur]] and [[Jay-Z]]. | '''Michael Eric Dyson''' (born October 23, 1958) is an American [[academic]], author, [[Baptist minister]], and radio host. He is a professor in the College of Arts and Science and in the Divinity School at [[Vanderbilt University]].<ref name=vandy/> Described by Michael A. Fletcher as "a [[Princeton University|Princeton]] [[Ph.D.]] and a child of the streets who takes pains never to separate the two",<ref name=JBHE/> Dyson has authored or edited more than twenty books dealing with subjects such as [[Race (human categorization)|race]], [[religion]] and politics, as well as biographies on [[Malcolm X]], [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], [[Marvin Gaye]], [[Barack Obama]], [[Bill Cosby]], [[Tupac Shakur]] and [[Jay-Z]]. | ||
==Early life and education== | ==Early life and education== | ||
Dyson was born on October 23, 1958, in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]], the son of Addie Mae Leonard, who was from Alabama. He was adopted by his stepfather, Everett Dyson.{{ | Dyson was born on October 23, 1958, in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]], the son of Addie Mae Leonard, who was from [[Alabama]]. He was adopted by his stepfather, Everett Dyson, who married Leonard in 1960.<ref name="encyclopedia.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/african-american-focus/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/dyson-michael-eric|title=Dyson, Michael Eric|website=[[encyclopedia.com]]|access-date=June 23, 2025}}</ref> He attended [[Cranbrook Schools|Cranbrook School]] in [[Bloomfield Hills, Michigan|Bloomfield Hills]], Michigan, on an academic scholarship but left and completed his education at [[Northwestern High School (Michigan)|Northwestern High School]].<ref name="JBHE">Michael A. Fletcher (Spring 2000). [https://web.archive.org/web/20121106072421/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-494181511.html "Michael Eric Dyson: A Scholar and a Hip-Hop Preacher."], ''[[The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education]]''.</ref> He became an [[ordained]] [[Baptist minister]] at nineteen years of age.<ref name="WP1">Marie Arana (August 24, 2003). [https://web.archive.org/web/20180927145131/https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A29256-2003Aug21/?language=printer "Michael Eric Dyson. Telling It Any Way He Can"], ''[[The Washington Post]]''.</ref> Having worked in factories in Detroit to support his family, he entered [[Knoxville College]] as a freshman at the age of twenty-one.<ref name="TheRoot1">Dyson, Michael Eric (April 2, 2011). [http://www.theroot.com/views/remembering-manning-marable "Manning Marable: A Brother, a Mentor, a Great Mind"], ''[[The Root (magazine)|The Root]]''. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605090014/http://www.theroot.com/views/remembering-manning-marable |date=June 5, 2011 }}.</ref> Dyson received his [[bachelor's degree]], ''[[magna cum laude]]'', from [[Carson–Newman College]] in 1985.<ref name="JBHE" /> He received a Ph.D. in religion from [[Princeton University]] in 1993 after completing a doctoral dissertation titled ''Uses of Heroes: Celebration and Criticism in the Interpretation of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.''<ref>{{Cite book|last=Dyson|first=Michael Eric|url=https://catalog.princeton.edu/catalog/809699|title=Uses of heroes : celebration and criticism in the interpretation of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.|date=1993|language=en}}</ref> | ||
==Career== | ==Career== | ||
=== Professor === | === Professor === | ||
Dyson has taught at [[Chicago Theological Seminary]], [[Brown University]], the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]], [[Columbia University]], [[DePaul University]], and the [[University of Pennsylvania]].<ref name="JBHE" /> From 2007 to 2020, he was a professor of sociology at [[Georgetown University]].<ref>[http://explore.georgetown.edu/people/med52/?action=viewnews&PageTemplateID=132 Michael E Dyson], Department of Sociology, [[Georgetown University]]</ref> In 2021, Dyson moved to Vanderbilt University where he holds the Centennial Chair and serves as University Distinguished Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies in the College of Arts and Science and University Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Society in the Divinity School.<ref name=vandy>{{Cite web|title=Dr. Michael Eric Dyson Heads to Vanderbilt - Higher Education|date=September 29, 2020 |url=https://diverseeducation.com/article/191507/|access-date=2021-01-18|language=en}}</ref> Between 2016 and 2018, he was a visiting professor at [[Middlebury College]] in [[Middlebury, Vermont]]. | Dyson has taught at [[Chicago Theological Seminary]], [[Brown University]], the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]], [[Columbia University]], [[DePaul University]], and the [[University of Pennsylvania]].<ref name="JBHE" /> From 2007 to 2020, he was a professor of sociology at [[Georgetown University]].<ref>[http://explore.georgetown.edu/people/med52/?action=viewnews&PageTemplateID=132 Michael E Dyson], Department of Sociology, [[Georgetown University]]</ref> In 2021, Dyson moved to Vanderbilt University where he holds the Centennial Chair and serves as University Distinguished Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies in the College of Arts and Science and University Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Society in the Divinity School.<ref name=vandy>{{Cite web|title=Dr. Michael Eric Dyson Heads to Vanderbilt - Higher Education|date=September 29, 2020|first=Jamal |last=Watson |url=https://diverseeducation.com/article/191507/|access-date=2021-01-18|language=en}}</ref> Between 2016 and 2018, he was a visiting professor at [[Middlebury College]] in [[Middlebury, Vermont]]. | ||
=== Author === | === Author === | ||
His 1994 book ''Making Malcolm: The Myth and Meaning of Malcolm X'' became a ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' notable book of the year.<ref name="PW">Calvin Reid (February 21, 2000). [http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/interviews/article/38037-pw-michael-eric-dyson-of-her-s-and-hip-hop.html "Interview. Michael Eric Dyson: Of Her s and Hip-hop. The real challenge of King's heroism is to make it a useful heroism"], ''[[Publishers Weekly]]''.</ref> In his 2006 book ''Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster'', Dyson analyzes the political and social events in the wake of the catastrophe against the backdrop of an overall "failure in race and class relations".<ref name="SFChronicle1">Austin | His 1994 book ''Making Malcolm: The Myth and Meaning of Malcolm X'' became a ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' notable book of the year.<ref name="PW">Calvin Reid (February 21, 2000). [http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/interviews/article/38037-pw-michael-eric-dyson-of-her-s-and-hip-hop.html "Interview. Michael Eric Dyson: Of Her s and Hip-hop. The real challenge of King's heroism is to make it a useful heroism"], ''[[Publishers Weekly]]''.</ref> In his 2006 book ''Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster'', Dyson analyzes the political and social events in the wake of the catastrophe against the backdrop of an overall "failure in race and class relations".<ref name="SFChronicle1">Considine, Austin (February 5, 2006). [https://web.archive.org/web/20101003141016/http://articles.sfgate.com/2006-02-05/books/17281518_1_michael-eric-dyson-hurricane-katrina-high-water "Disparities revealed in Katrina's wake / Race, class central to analysis of how nation failed victims"], ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]''.</ref><ref name="Ebony1">Staff (April 2006). [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_6_61/ai_n26799506/ "The center of the storm"], ''[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]]''.</ref><ref name="PW2">Staff (January 16, 2006). [http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-465-01761-4/ "Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster"], ''Publishers Weekly''.</ref> In 2010, Dyson edited ''[[Born to Use Mics|Born to Use Mics: Reading Nas's Illmatic]]'', with contributions based on the album's tracks by, among others, [[Kevin Coval]], [[Kyra Gaunt|Kyra D. Gaunt]] ("Professor G"), [[dream hampton]], [[Marc Lamont Hill]], [[Adam Mansbach]], and [[Mark Anthony Neal]].<ref name="DysonDaulatzai2009Contents">{{cite book|first1=Michael Eric|last1=Dyson|first2=Sohail|last2=Daulatzai|title=Born To Use Mics: Reading Nas's Illmatic|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yZdcVWpYthMC&pg=PR5|access-date=August 21, 2011|date=December 28, 2009|publisher=Basic Civitas Books|isbn=978-0-465-00211-5|pages=v–vi}}</ref> Dyson's own essay in this anthology, {{"'}}One Love', Two Brothers, Three Verses", argues that the current US penal system disfavors young black males more than any other segment of the population.<ref name="DysonDaulatzai2009">{{cite book|author1=Dyson|author2=Daulatzai|title=Born To Use Mics |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yZdcVWpYthMC&pg=PA129|access-date=August 21, 2011|date=2009|page=131|publisher=Basic Books |isbn=9780465002115}}</ref><ref name="PostmodernCulture">Porco, Alessandro (May 2009). [http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/postmodern_culture/v019/19.3.porco.html {{"'}}Time is Illmatic': A Critical Retrospective on Nas's Groundbreaking Debut"], ''[[Postmodern Culture]]'' – Volume 19, Number 3.</ref> His last three books appeared repeatedly on the ''[[New York Times]]'' Bestseller list. | ||
=== Commentator === | === Commentator === | ||
Dyson hosted a radio show, which aired on [[Radio One (Company)|Radio One]], from January 2006 to February 2007. He is also a commentator on [[National Public Radio]], [[MSNBC]] and [[CNN]], and is a regular guest on ''[[Real Time with Bill Maher]]''. Beginning July 2015 | Dyson hosted a radio show, which aired on [[Radio One (Company)|Radio One]], from January 2006 to February 2007. He is also a commentator on [[National Public Radio]], [[MSNBC]] and [[CNN]], and is a regular guest on ''[[Real Time with Bill Maher]]''. Beginning in July 2015, Dyson became a political analyst for MSNBC.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Samuels |first1=Allison |title=Michael Eric Dyson Hire by MSNBC Deepens Black Ire Over Al Sharpton Show |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/michael-eric-dyson-hire-by-msnbc-deepens-black-ire-over-al-sharpton-show |access-date=28 September 2018 |agency=The Daily Beast |date=August 12, 2011}}</ref> In May 2018, he participated in the [[Munk debate]] on [[political correctness]], arguing alongside [[Michelle Goldberg]] against [[Stephen Fry]] and [[Jordan Peterson]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.munkdebates.com/The-Debates/Political-Correctness |website=Munk Debates |title= Political Correctness Debate|date=May 18, 2018|access-date=May 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181204045148/https://www.munkdebates.com/The-Debates/Political-Correctness |archive-date=December 4, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In August 2018, Dyson spoke at the funeral of [[Aretha Franklin]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Izadi |first1=Elahe |last2=Butler |first2=Bethonie |last3=Rao |first3=Sonia |title='She gave us pride and a regal bar to reach': Everything that happened at Aretha Franklin's 8-hour funeral |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2018/08/31/aretha-franklins-funeral-is-taking-place-in-detroit-watch-here/?noredirect=on |access-date=28 September 2018 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=August 31, 2018}}</ref> | ||
''The Michael Eric Dyson Show'' radio program debuted on April 6, 2009, and was broadcast from [[Morgan State University]]. The show's first guest was [[Oprah Winfrey]],<ref name="Maynard_Institute">Richard | ''The Michael Eric Dyson Show'' radio program debuted on April 6, 2009, and was broadcast from [[Morgan State University]]. The show's first guest was [[Oprah Winfrey]],<ref name="Maynard_Institute">Prince, Richard (April 1, 2009). [http://mije.org/richardprince/april-1-journal-isms "Oprah to Inaugurate Michael Eric Dyson Radio Show"], Maynard Institute. Richard Prince's Journal-isms™. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111107052116/http://mije.org/richardprince/april-1-journal-isms |date=November 7, 2011}}.</ref> to whom Dyson dedicated his 2009 book ''Can You Hear Me Now? The Inspiration, Wisdom, and Insight of Michael Eric Dyson''. The show appears to have been discontinued, with its last episode being in December 2011. | ||
Dyson served on the [[board of directors]] of the Common Ground Foundation, a project dedicated to empowering urban youth in the United States.<ref name="CGF">Staff (2007). [http://www.commongroundfoundation.org/mdyson_bio.html "Biography: Dr. Michael Eric Dyson"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111101124333/http://www.commongroundfoundation.org/mdyson_bio.html|date=November 1, 2011}}, Common Ground Foundation, board members.</ref> | Dyson served on the [[board of directors]] of the Common Ground Foundation, a project dedicated to empowering urban youth in the United States.<ref name="CGF">Staff (2007). [http://www.commongroundfoundation.org/mdyson_bio.html "Biography: Dr. Michael Eric Dyson"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111101124333/http://www.commongroundfoundation.org/mdyson_bio.html|date=November 1, 2011}}, Common Ground Foundation, board members.</ref> | ||
== Beliefs == | == Beliefs == | ||
Dyson's general philosophy is that American black people are continuing to suffer from generations of ongoing oppression. | Dyson's general philosophy is that American black people are continuing to suffer from generations of ongoing oppression. On [[Fox News]] with [[Tucker Carlson]], Dyson suggested that white Americans looking for ways to counter [[white privilege]] could make individual efforts to contribute time and money to support local black communities.<ref name="tCarlson">{{cite web|date=February 4, 2017|title=Dyson: Whites should open individual reparation accounts|url=https://video.foxnews.com/v/5308799067001/?#sp=show-clips|work=Tucker Carlson Tonight|publisher=Fox News}}</ref> | ||
==Bibliography== | ==Bibliography== | ||
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|''Race Rules: Navigating the Color Line''||1996||{{ISBN|9780201911862}}||[[Addison Wesley]] | |''Race Rules: Navigating the Color Line''||1996||{{ISBN|9780201911862}}||[[Addison Wesley]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''Between God and Gangsta Rap: Bearing Witness to Black Culture''||1997||{{ISBN|9780195115697}}|| | |''Between God and Gangsta Rap: Bearing Witness to Black Culture''||1997||{{ISBN|9780195115697}}||Oxford University Press | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''I May Not Get There with You: The True Martin Luther King, Jr.''||2000||{{ISBN|9780684867762}}||[[Free Press (publisher)|Free Press]] | |''I May Not Get There with You: The True Martin Luther King, Jr.''||2000||{{ISBN|9780684867762}}||[[Free Press (publisher)|Free Press]] | ||
| Line 86: | Line 86: | ||
|''Holler if You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur''||2002||{{ISBN|9780465017560}}||[[Basic Civitas Books]] | |''Holler if You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur''||2002||{{ISBN|9780465017560}}||[[Basic Civitas Books]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''Open Mike: Reflections on Philosophy''||2002||{{ISBN|9780465017652}}|| | |''Open Mike: Reflections on Philosophy''||2002||{{ISBN|9780465017652}}||Basic Civitas Books | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''Why I Love Black Women''||2002||{{ISBN|9780465017638}}||[[Perseus Book Group]] | |''Why I Love Black Women''||2002||{{ISBN|9780465017638}}||[[Perseus Book Group]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''The Michael Eric Dyson Reader''||2004||{{ISBN|9780465017713}}|| | |''The Michael Eric Dyson Reader''||2004||{{ISBN|9780465017713}}||Basic Civitas Books | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''Mercy, Mercy Me: The Art, Loves and Demons of Marvin Gaye''||2005||{{ISBN|9780465017706}}|| | |''Mercy, Mercy Me: The Art, Loves and Demons of Marvin Gaye''||2005||{{ISBN|9780465017706}}||Basic Civitas Books | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''Is Bill Cosby Right? Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?''||2005||{{ISBN|9780465017195}}|| | |''Is Bill Cosby Right? Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?''||2005||{{ISBN|9780465017195}}||Basic Civitas Books | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''Pride: The Seven Deadly Sins''||2006||{{ISBN|9780195160925}}||[[Oxford University Press]] | |''Pride: The Seven Deadly Sins''||2006||{{ISBN|9780195160925}}||[[Oxford University Press]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster''||2006||{{ISBN|9780465017614}}|| | |''Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster''||2006||{{ISBN|9780465017614}}||Perseus Book Group | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''Debating Race''||2007||{{ISBN|9780465002061}}|| | |''Debating Race''||2007||{{ISBN|9780465002061}}||Basic Civitas Books | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''Know What I Mean? Reflections on Hip Hop''||2007||{{ISBN|9780465017164}}|| | |''Know What I Mean? Reflections on Hip Hop''||2007||{{ISBN|9780465017164}}||Basic Civitas Books | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King's Death and How it Changed America''||2008||{{ISBN|9780465012862}}|| | |''April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King's Death and How it Changed America''||2008||{{ISBN|9780465012862}}||Basic Civitas Books | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''Can You Hear Me Now? The Inspiration, Wisdom, and Insight of Michael Eric Dyson''||2009||{{ISBN|9780465018833}}|| | |''Can You Hear Me Now? The Inspiration, Wisdom, and Insight of Michael Eric Dyson''||2009||{{ISBN|9780465018833}}||Basic Civitas Books | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''The Black Presidency: Barack Obama and the Politics of Race in America''||2016||{{ISBN|9780544387669}}||[[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt]] | |''The Black Presidency: Barack Obama and the Politics of Race in America''||2016||{{ISBN|9780544387669}}||[[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt]] | ||
| Line 112: | Line 112: | ||
|''[[Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America]]''||2017||{{ISBN|9781250135995}}||[[St. Martin's Press]] | |''[[Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America]]''||2017||{{ISBN|9781250135995}}||[[St. Martin's Press]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''[[What Truth Sounds Like: Robert F. Kennedy, James Baldwin, and Our Unfinished Conversation About Race in America|What Truth Sounds Like]]''||2017||{{ISBN|9781250135995}}|| | |''[[What Truth Sounds Like: Robert F. Kennedy, James Baldwin, and Our Unfinished Conversation About Race in America|What Truth Sounds Like]]''||2017||{{ISBN|9781250135995}}||St. Martin's Press | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''JAY-Z: Made in America''||2019||{{ISBN|9781250230966}}|| | |''JAY-Z: Made in America''||2019||{{ISBN|9781250230966}}||St. Martin's Press | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''Long Time Coming: Reckoning with Race in America''||2020||{{ISBN|9781250276759}}|| | |''Long Time Coming: Reckoning with Race in America''||2020||{{ISBN|9781250276759}}||St. Martin's Press | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''Entertaining Race: Performing Blackness in America''||2021||{{ISBN|9781250135971}}|| | |''Entertaining Race: Performing Blackness in America''||2021||{{ISBN|9781250135971}}||St. Martin's Press | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''Represent: The Unfinished Fight for the Vote''||2024||{{ISBN|9780759557062}}||[[Little, Brown and Company]] | |''Represent: The Unfinished Fight for the Vote''||2024||{{ISBN|9780759557062}}||[[Little, Brown and Company]] | ||
|} | |} | ||
'''Editor''' | '''Editor''' | ||
* ''[[Born to Use Mics: Reading Nas's Illmatic]]'' ( | * ''[[Born to Use Mics: Reading Nas's Illmatic]]'' (Basic Civitas Books, 2010), {{ISBN|9780465002115}} | ||
== Awards and nominations == | == Awards and nominations == | ||
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== Interviews == | == Interviews == | ||
* [https://www.c-span.org/video/?154614-1/i-not-you Presentation by Dyson on ''I May Not Get There With You'', January 10, 2000 | * [https://www.c-span.org/video/?154614-1/i-not-you Presentation by Dyson on ''I May Not Get There With You''], January 10, 2000, [[C-SPAN]] | ||
* [https://www.c-span.org/video/?156498-1/news-review ''Washington Journal'' interview with Dyson on ''I May Not Get There With You'', April 10, 2000 | * [https://www.c-span.org/video/?156498-1/news-review ''Washington Journal'' interview with Dyson on ''I May Not Get There With You''], April 10, 2000, C-SPAN | ||
* [https://www.c-span.org/video/?165909-1/holler-hear-me ''Booknotes'' interview with Dyson on ''Holler If You Hear Me'', November 4, 2001 | * [https://www.c-span.org/video/?165909-1/holler-hear-me ''Booknotes'' interview with Dyson on ''Holler If You Hear Me''], November 4, 2001, C-SPAN | ||
* [https://www.c-span.org/video/?186657-1/after-words-michael-eric-dyson ''After Words'' interview with Dyson on ''Is Bill Cosby Right: Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?'', May 15, 2005 | * [https://www.c-span.org/video/?186657-1/after-words-michael-eric-dyson ''After Words'' interview with Dyson on ''Is Bill Cosby Right: Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?''], May 15, 2005, C-SPAN | ||
* [https://www.c-span.org/video/?191465-1/is-bill-cosby-right-book-group-discussion Book group discussion on ''Is Bill Cosby Right: Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?'', February 28, 2006 | * [https://www.c-span.org/video/?191465-1/is-bill-cosby-right-book-group-discussion Book group discussion on ''Is Bill Cosby Right: Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?''], February 28, 2006, C-SPAN | ||
* [https://www.c-span.org/video/?191672-1/come-hell-high-water-hurricane-katrina Presentation by Dyson on ''Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina'', February 24, 2006 | * [https://www.c-span.org/video/?191672-1/come-hell-high-water-hurricane-katrina Presentation by Dyson on ''Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina''], February 24, 2006, C-SPAN | ||
* [https://www.c-span.org/video/?200193-1/know-mean-reflections-hip-hop Presentation by Dyson on ''Know What I Mean?'', July 18, 2007 | * [https://www.c-span.org/video/?200193-1/know-mean-reflections-hip-hop Presentation by Dyson on ''Know What I Mean?''], July 18, 2007, C-SPAN | ||
* [https://www.c-span.org/video/?404119-1/after-words-michael-eric-dyson ''After Words'' interview with Dyson on ''The Black Presidency'', March 11, 2016 | * [https://www.c-span.org/video/?404119-1/after-words-michael-eric-dyson ''After Words'' interview with Dyson on ''The Black Presidency''], March 11, 2016, C-SPAN | ||
* [https://www.c-span.org/video/?422310-1/tears-stop Presentation by Dyson on ''Tears We Cannot Stop'', January 18, 2017 | * [https://www.c-span.org/video/?422310-1/tears-stop Presentation by Dyson on ''Tears We Cannot Stop''], January 18, 2017, C-SPAN | ||
* [https://www.c-span.org/video/?426915-5/open-phones-michael-eric-dyson Interview with Dyson on ''Tears We Cannot Stop'', April 22, 2017 | * [https://www.c-span.org/video/?426915-5/open-phones-michael-eric-dyson Interview with Dyson on ''Tears We Cannot Stop''], April 22, 2017, C-SPAN | ||
* [https://www.c-span.org/video/?429143-5/tears-stop Presentation by Dyson on ''Tears We Cannot Stop'', June 10, 2017 | * [https://www.c-span.org/video/?429143-5/tears-stop Presentation by Dyson on ''Tears We Cannot Stop''], June 10, 2017, C-SPAN | ||
* [https://www.c-span.org/video/?433728-1/tears-stop Presentation by Dyson on ''Tears We Cannot Stop'', September 22, 2017 | * [https://www.c-span.org/video/?433728-1/tears-stop Presentation by Dyson on ''Tears We Cannot Stop''], September 22, 2017, C-SPAN | ||
* [https://www.c-span.org/video/?438794-3/michael-eric-dyson-race-relations ''Washington Journal'' interview with Dyson on ''Tears We Cannot Stop'', December 24, 2017 | * [https://www.c-span.org/video/?438794-3/michael-eric-dyson-race-relations ''Washington Journal'' interview with Dyson on ''Tears We Cannot Stop''], December 24, 2017, C-SPAN | ||
* [https://www.c-span.org/video/?445962-1/what-truth-sounds-like Presentation by Dyson on ''What Truth Sounds Like'', June 6, 2018 | * [https://www.c-span.org/video/?445962-1/what-truth-sounds-like Presentation by Dyson on ''What Truth Sounds Like''], June 6, 2018, C-SPAN | ||
* [https://www.c-span.org/video/?447315-3/michael-eric-dyson-race-america ''Washington Journal'' interview with Dyson on ''What Truth Sounds Like'', June 24, 2018 | * [https://www.c-span.org/video/?447315-3/michael-eric-dyson-race-america ''Washington Journal'' interview with Dyson on ''What Truth Sounds Like''], June 24, 2018, C-SPAN | ||
* [https://www.c-span.org/video/?477964-1/long-time-coming Presentation by Dyson on ''Long Time Coming'', December 8, 2020 | * [https://www.c-span.org/video/?477964-1/long-time-coming Presentation by Dyson on ''Long Time Coming''], December 8, 2020, C-SPAN | ||
* [https://www.c-span.org/video/?515491-1/entertaining-race-performing-blackness-america Presentation by Dyson on ''Entertaining Race'', November 12, 2021 | * [https://www.c-span.org/video/?515491-1/entertaining-race-performing-blackness-america Presentation by Dyson on ''Entertaining Race''], November 12, 2021, C-SPAN | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
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* {{IMDb name}} | * {{IMDb name}} | ||
* {{C-SPAN|46963}} | * {{C-SPAN|46963}} | ||
**[https://www.c-span.org/video/?202400-1/depth-michael-eric-dyson ''In Depth'' interview with Dyson, April 6, 2008 | **[https://www.c-span.org/video/?202400-1/depth-michael-eric-dyson ''In Depth'' interview with Dyson], April 6, 2008. | ||
{{NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Nonfiction}} | {{NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Nonfiction}} | ||
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{{Civil rights movement}} | {{Civil rights movement}} | ||
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[[Category:Clergy from Detroit]] | [[Category:Clergy from Detroit]] | ||
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[[Category:Princeton University alumni]] | [[Category:Princeton University alumni]] | ||
[[Category:Writers from Detroit]] | [[Category:Writers from Detroit]] | ||
Latest revision as of 13:42, 23 June 2025
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Multiple issues Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Main otherScript error: No such module "Check for clobbered parameters".Template:Wikidata image
Michael Eric Dyson (born October 23, 1958) is an American academic, author, Baptist minister, and radio host. He is a professor in the College of Arts and Science and in the Divinity School at Vanderbilt University.[1] Described by Michael A. Fletcher as "a Princeton Ph.D. and a child of the streets who takes pains never to separate the two",[2] Dyson has authored or edited more than twenty books dealing with subjects such as race, religion and politics, as well as biographies on Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Marvin Gaye, Barack Obama, Bill Cosby, Tupac Shakur and Jay-Z.
Early life and education
Dyson was born on October 23, 1958, in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Addie Mae Leonard, who was from Alabama. He was adopted by his stepfather, Everett Dyson, who married Leonard in 1960.[3] He attended Cranbrook School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, on an academic scholarship but left and completed his education at Northwestern High School.[2] He became an ordained Baptist minister at nineteen years of age.[4] Having worked in factories in Detroit to support his family, he entered Knoxville College as a freshman at the age of twenty-one.[5] Dyson received his bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, from Carson–Newman College in 1985.[2] He received a Ph.D. in religion from Princeton University in 1993 after completing a doctoral dissertation titled Uses of Heroes: Celebration and Criticism in the Interpretation of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.[6]
Career
Professor
Dyson has taught at Chicago Theological Seminary, Brown University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Columbia University, DePaul University, and the University of Pennsylvania.[2] From 2007 to 2020, he was a professor of sociology at Georgetown University.[7] In 2021, Dyson moved to Vanderbilt University where he holds the Centennial Chair and serves as University Distinguished Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies in the College of Arts and Science and University Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Society in the Divinity School.[1] Between 2016 and 2018, he was a visiting professor at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont.
Author
His 1994 book Making Malcolm: The Myth and Meaning of Malcolm X became a New York Times notable book of the year.[8] In his 2006 book Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster, Dyson analyzes the political and social events in the wake of the catastrophe against the backdrop of an overall "failure in race and class relations".[9][10][11] In 2010, Dyson edited Born to Use Mics: Reading Nas's Illmatic, with contributions based on the album's tracks by, among others, Kevin Coval, Kyra D. Gaunt ("Professor G"), dream hampton, Marc Lamont Hill, Adam Mansbach, and Mark Anthony Neal.[12] Dyson's own essay in this anthology, Template:"'One Love', Two Brothers, Three Verses", argues that the current US penal system disfavors young black males more than any other segment of the population.[13][14] His last three books appeared repeatedly on the New York Times Bestseller list.
Commentator
Dyson hosted a radio show, which aired on Radio One, from January 2006 to February 2007. He is also a commentator on National Public Radio, MSNBC and CNN, and is a regular guest on Real Time with Bill Maher. Beginning in July 2015, Dyson became a political analyst for MSNBC.[15] In May 2018, he participated in the Munk debate on political correctness, arguing alongside Michelle Goldberg against Stephen Fry and Jordan Peterson.[16] In August 2018, Dyson spoke at the funeral of Aretha Franklin.[17]
The Michael Eric Dyson Show radio program debuted on April 6, 2009, and was broadcast from Morgan State University. The show's first guest was Oprah Winfrey,[18] to whom Dyson dedicated his 2009 book Can You Hear Me Now? The Inspiration, Wisdom, and Insight of Michael Eric Dyson. The show appears to have been discontinued, with its last episode being in December 2011.
Dyson served on the board of directors of the Common Ground Foundation, a project dedicated to empowering urban youth in the United States.[19]
Beliefs
Dyson's general philosophy is that American black people are continuing to suffer from generations of ongoing oppression. On Fox News with Tucker Carlson, Dyson suggested that white Americans looking for ways to counter white privilege could make individual efforts to contribute time and money to support local black communities.[20]
Bibliography
| Title | Year | ISBN | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reflecting Black: African-American Cultural Criticism | 1993 | Template:ISBN | University of Minnesota Press |
| Making Malcolm: The Myth and Meaning of Malcolm X | 1995 | Template:ISBN | Oxford University Press |
| Race Rules: Navigating the Color Line | 1996 | Template:ISBN | Addison Wesley |
| Between God and Gangsta Rap: Bearing Witness to Black Culture | 1997 | Template:ISBN | Oxford University Press |
| I May Not Get There with You: The True Martin Luther King, Jr. | 2000 | Template:ISBN | Free Press |
| Holler if You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur | 2002 | Template:ISBN | Basic Civitas Books |
| Open Mike: Reflections on Philosophy | 2002 | Template:ISBN | Basic Civitas Books |
| Why I Love Black Women | 2002 | Template:ISBN | Perseus Book Group |
| The Michael Eric Dyson Reader | 2004 | Template:ISBN | Basic Civitas Books |
| Mercy, Mercy Me: The Art, Loves and Demons of Marvin Gaye | 2005 | Template:ISBN | Basic Civitas Books |
| Is Bill Cosby Right? Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind? | 2005 | Template:ISBN | Basic Civitas Books |
| Pride: The Seven Deadly Sins | 2006 | Template:ISBN | Oxford University Press |
| Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster | 2006 | Template:ISBN | Perseus Book Group |
| Debating Race | 2007 | Template:ISBN | Basic Civitas Books |
| Know What I Mean? Reflections on Hip Hop | 2007 | Template:ISBN | Basic Civitas Books |
| April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King's Death and How it Changed America | 2008 | Template:ISBN | Basic Civitas Books |
| Can You Hear Me Now? The Inspiration, Wisdom, and Insight of Michael Eric Dyson | 2009 | Template:ISBN | Basic Civitas Books |
| The Black Presidency: Barack Obama and the Politics of Race in America | 2016 | Template:ISBN | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |
| Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America | 2017 | Template:ISBN | St. Martin's Press |
| What Truth Sounds Like | 2017 | Template:ISBN | St. Martin's Press |
| JAY-Z: Made in America | 2019 | Template:ISBN | St. Martin's Press |
| Long Time Coming: Reckoning with Race in America | 2020 | Template:ISBN | St. Martin's Press |
| Entertaining Race: Performing Blackness in America | 2021 | Template:ISBN | St. Martin's Press |
| Represent: The Unfinished Fight for the Vote | 2024 | Template:ISBN | Little, Brown and Company |
Editor
- Born to Use Mics: Reading Nas's Illmatic (Basic Civitas Books, 2010), Template:ISBN
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | American Book Award | Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster | Template:Won | [21] | |
| 2004 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Literary Work – Nonfiction | Why I Love Black Women | Template:Won | [22] |
| 2006 | Outstanding Literary Work – Nonfiction | Is Bill Cosby Right? Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind? | Template:Won | [23] | |
| 2007 | Outstanding Literary Work – Nonfiction | Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster | Template:Nom | [24] | |
| 2008 | Outstanding Literary Work – Nonfiction | Know What I Mean?: Reflections on Hip-Hop | Template:Nom | [25][26] | |
| 2021 | Outstanding Literary Work – Nonfiction | Long Time Coming: Reckoning with Race in America | Template:Nom | [27] | |
| 2018 | Southern Book Prize | Non-Fiction | Tears We Cannot Stop | Template:Won | [28] |
Interviews
- Presentation by Dyson on I May Not Get There With You, January 10, 2000, C-SPAN
- Washington Journal interview with Dyson on I May Not Get There With You, April 10, 2000, C-SPAN
- Booknotes interview with Dyson on Holler If You Hear Me, November 4, 2001, C-SPAN
- After Words interview with Dyson on Is Bill Cosby Right: Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?, May 15, 2005, C-SPAN
- Book group discussion on Is Bill Cosby Right: Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?, February 28, 2006, C-SPAN
- Presentation by Dyson on Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina, February 24, 2006, C-SPAN
- Presentation by Dyson on Know What I Mean?, July 18, 2007, C-SPAN
- After Words interview with Dyson on The Black Presidency, March 11, 2016, C-SPAN
- Presentation by Dyson on Tears We Cannot Stop, January 18, 2017, C-SPAN
- Interview with Dyson on Tears We Cannot Stop, April 22, 2017, C-SPAN
- Presentation by Dyson on Tears We Cannot Stop, June 10, 2017, C-SPAN
- Presentation by Dyson on Tears We Cannot Stop, September 22, 2017, C-SPAN
- Washington Journal interview with Dyson on Tears We Cannot Stop, December 24, 2017, C-SPAN
- Presentation by Dyson on What Truth Sounds Like, June 6, 2018, C-SPAN
- Washington Journal interview with Dyson on What Truth Sounds Like, June 24, 2018, C-SPAN
- Presentation by Dyson on Long Time Coming, December 8, 2020, C-SPAN
- Presentation by Dyson on Entertaining Race, November 12, 2021, C-SPAN
References
External links
- Template:Official website
- Template:First word/ Template:PAGENAMEBASE at IMDbTemplate:EditAtWikidataScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Template:C-SPAN
- In Depth interview with Dyson, April 6, 2008.
Template:NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Nonfiction Template:MSNBC Personalities Template:Civil rights movement
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c d Michael A. Fletcher (Spring 2000). "Michael Eric Dyson: A Scholar and a Hip-Hop Preacher.", The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Marie Arana (August 24, 2003). "Michael Eric Dyson. Telling It Any Way He Can", The Washington Post.
- ↑ Dyson, Michael Eric (April 2, 2011). "Manning Marable: A Brother, a Mentor, a Great Mind", The Root. Template:Webarchive.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Michael E Dyson, Department of Sociology, Georgetown University
- ↑ Calvin Reid (February 21, 2000). "Interview. Michael Eric Dyson: Of Her s and Hip-hop. The real challenge of King's heroism is to make it a useful heroism", Publishers Weekly.
- ↑ Considine, Austin (February 5, 2006). "Disparities revealed in Katrina's wake / Race, class central to analysis of how nation failed victims", San Francisco Chronicle.
- ↑ Staff (April 2006). "The center of the storm", Ebony.
- ↑ Staff (January 16, 2006). "Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster", Publishers Weekly.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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- ↑ Porco, Alessandro (May 2009). Template:"'Time is Illmatic': A Critical Retrospective on Nas's Groundbreaking Debut", Postmodern Culture – Volume 19, Number 3.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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- ↑ Prince, Richard (April 1, 2009). "Oprah to Inaugurate Michael Eric Dyson Radio Show", Maynard Institute. Richard Prince's Journal-isms™. Template:Webarchive.
- ↑ Staff (2007). "Biography: Dr. Michael Eric Dyson" Template:Webarchive, Common Ground Foundation, board members.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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- Pages with script errors
- 1958 births
- Living people
- African-American Baptist ministers
- African-American non-fiction writers
- African-American social scientists
- American adoptees
- American biographers
- American Book Award winners
- American male biographers
- American political writers
- American social scientists
- Carson–Newman University alumni
- Clergy from Detroit
- DePaul University faculty
- Georgetown University faculty
- Historians of the civil rights movement
- Members of the Democratic Socialists of America from Michigan
- Michigan Democrats
- MSNBC people
- Northwestern High School (Michigan) alumni
- Princeton University alumni
- Writers from Detroit