Michael Eric Dyson

Hailed as one of the nation’s most inspiring African Americans, Michael Eric Dyson has been credited with revitalizing the role of the public intellectual with the fervor of an ordained Baptist minister.

Infusing intellectual thought with popular culture, Dyson focuses on topics of interest to the public. He eloquently melds scholarly insight with the phenomena of contemporary culture, emphasizing their interconnectedness and force in shaping our society.

His books provide some of the most significant commentary on modern social and intellectual thought, interwoven with a combination of cultural criticism, race theory, religion, philosophical reflection, and gender studies. Works such as Making Malcolm X; I May Not Get There with You; Holler if You Hear Me; Mercy, Mercy Me: The Art, Loves and Demons of Marvin Gaye; Is Bill Cosby Right? Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?; Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster; and the recent Can You Hear Me Now? The Inspiration, Wisdom, and Insight of Michael Eric Dyson, deeply probe social themes and cultural politics.

A popular University Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University, Dyson bridges gaps between generations, connecting civil rights identity to hip-hop culture while forging links between older and younger Americans, especially black Americans. As a cutting edge historian, he educates the general public on the significance of hip hop, not only in understanding black culture, but American cultural as well. With his powerful voice, Dyson reaches beyond race, addressing the universal commonality of American concern.