The Reverend

Michael Eric Dyson
Born (1958-10-23) October 23, 1958
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Spouses
  • Theresa Taylor
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1977; div. 1979)​
    [1]
  • Brenda Joyce
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1982; div. 1992)​
  • Marcia Louise
    ​
    (m. 1992)​
Ecclesiastical career
Ordainedc. 1977
Academic background
Alma mater
ThesisUses of Heroes: Celebration and Criticism in the Interpretation of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. (1993)
InfluencesManning Marable[2]
Academic work
DisciplineSociology
InstitutionsVanderbilt University
Websitemichaelericdyson.com

Michael Eric Dyson (born October 23, 1958) is an American academic, author, ordained minister, and radio host. He is a professor in the College of Arts and Science and in the Divinity School at Vanderbilt University.[3] Described by Michael A. Fletcher as "a Princeton Ph.D. and a child of the streets who takes pains never to separate the two",[4] Dyson has authored or edited more than twenty books dealing with subjects such as Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Marvin Gaye, Barack Obama, Nas's debut album Illmatic, Bill Cosby, Tupac Shakur and Hurricane Katrina.

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. He attended Cranbrook School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, on an academic scholarship but left and completed his education at Northwestern High School.[4] He became an ordained Baptist minister at nineteen years of age.[5] Having worked in factories in Detroit to support his family, he entered Knoxville College as a freshman at the age of twenty-one.[6] Dyson received his bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, from Carson–Newman College in 1985.[4] 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.[7]

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.[4] From 2007 to 2020, he was a professor of sociology at Georgetown University.[8] 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.[3] Between 2016 and 2018, he was a visiting professor at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont. During his time at Georgetown University, Dyson faced allegations of sexual harassment from a number of students and was investigated by the Title IX office.[9][10]

Author

His 1994 book Making Malcolm: The Myth and Meaning of Malcolm X became a New York Times notable book of the year.[11] 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".[12][13][14] 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.[15] 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.[16][17] 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 July 2011 Michael Eric Dyson became a political analyst for MSNBC.[18] In May 2018, he participated in the Munk debate on political correctness, arguing alongside Michelle Goldberg against Stephen Fry and Jordan Peterson.[19] In August 2018, he spoke at the funeral of Aretha Franklin.[20]

Dyson served on the board of directors of the Common Ground Foundation, a project dedicated to empowering urban youth in the United States.[21] Dyson and his third wife, Marcia L. Dyson,[4] were regular guests and speakers at the Aspen Institute Conferences and Ideas Festival. Dyson most recently hosted a television show, The Raw Word.

The Michael Eric Dyson Show (2009-2011)

The Michael Eric Dyson Show radio program debuted on April 6, 2009, and is broadcast from Morgan State University. The show's first guest was Oprah Winfrey,[22] to whom Dyson dedicated his 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.

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.[23]

Personal life

Dyson has a son, Michael Eric Dyson II, born on May 22, 1978, in Detroit with his first wife, Theresa Taylor. Also, Mwata and Maisha Dyson and three grandchildren.

Allegations of student sexual harassment

Georgetown University's student newspaper The Georgetown Voice reported in June 2021 that the University had launched an investigation into Dyson in February 2020 in relation to allegations that Dyson harassed and tried to initiate a romantic relationship with one of his students at the University. Subsequently, Crystal Fleming also accused Dyson of harassing her as a graduate student.[24] Students at Vanderbilt, where Dyson accepted a position in 2021, have accused the school of "fail[ing] Black women" by hiring the alleged predator.[25]

Bibliography

TitleYearISBNPublisherSubject matterInterviews, presentations, and reviewsComments
Reflecting Black: African-American Cultural Criticism1993ISBN 9780816621439University of Minnesota Press
Making Malcolm: The Myth and Meaning of Malcolm X1995ISBN 9780195102857Oxford University PressMalcolm X
Race Rules: Navigating the Color Line1996ISBN 9780201911862Addison Wesley
Between God and Gangsta Rap: Bearing Witness to Black Culture1997ISBN 9780195115697Oxford University Press
I May Not Get There with You: The True Martin Luther King, Jr.2000ISBN 9780684867762Free PressMartin Luther King Jr.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
Holler if You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur2002ISBN 9780465017560Basic Civitas BooksTupac ShakurBooknotes interview with Dyson on Holler If You Hear Me, November 4, 2001, C-SPAN
Open Mike: Reflections on Philosophy2002ISBN 9780465017652Basic Civitas Books
Why I Love Black Women2002ISBN 9780465017638Perseus Book GroupWinner of the 2004 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Nonfiction[26]
The Michael Eric Dyson Reader2004ISBN 9780465017713Basic Civitas Books
Mercy, Mercy Me: The Art, Loves and Demons of Marvin Gaye2005ISBN 9780465017706Basic Civitas BooksMarvin Gaye
Is Bill Cosby Right? Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?2005ISBN 9780465017195Basic Civitas BooksBill Cosby, Pound Cake speechAfter 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		Winner of the 2006 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Nonfiction[27]
Pride: The Seven Deadly Sins2006ISBN 9780195160925Oxford University PressPride
Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster2006ISBN 9780465017614Perseus Book GroupHurricane Katrina, Social effects of Hurricane Katrina, Criticism of the government response to Hurricane KatrinaPresentation by Dyson on Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina, February 24, 2006, C-SPANRecipient of the 2007 American Book Award[28]
Nominee for the 2007 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Nonfiction[29]
Debating Race2007ISBN 9780465002061Basic Civitas Books
Know What I Mean? Reflections on Hip Hop2007ISBN 9780465017164Basic Civitas BooksHip hop (culture), Hip hop musicPresentation by Dyson on Know What I Mean?, July 18, 2007, C-SPANNominee for the 2008 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Nonfiction[30][31]
April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King's Death and How it Changed America2008ISBN 9780465012862Basic Civitas BooksAssassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Can You Hear Me Now? The Inspiration, Wisdom, and Insight of Michael Eric Dyson2009ISBN 9780465018833Basic Civitas Books
Born to Use Mics: Reading Nas's Illmatic2010ISBN 9780465002115Basic Civitas BooksNas, IllmaticDyson and Sohail Daulatzai were the editors of this book.
The Black Presidency: Barack Obama and the Politics of Race in America2016ISBN 9780544387669Houghton Mifflin HarcourtBarack Obama, Presidency of Barack ObamaAfter Words interview with Dyson on The Black Presidency, March 11, 2016, C-SPAN
Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America2017ISBN 9781250135995St. Martin's PressRace and ethnicity in the United States, White Americans, African AmericansPresentation 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		Winner of the 2018 Southern Book Prize for Non-Fiction[32]
What Truth Sounds Like: Robert F. Kennedy, James Baldwin, and Our Unfinished Conversation About Race in America2017ISBN 9781250135995St. Martin's PressBaldwin–Kennedy meetingPresentation 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
JAY-Z: Made in America2019ISBN 9781250230966St. Martin's PressJay-Z
Long Time Coming: Reckoning with Race in America2020ISBN 9781250276759St. Martin's PressPresentation by Dyson on Long Time Coming, December 8, 2020, C-SPANNominee for the 2021 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Nonfiction[33]
Entertaining Race: Performing Blackness in America2021ISBN 9781250135971St. Martin's PressPresentation by Dyson on Entertaining Race, November 12, 2021, C-SPAN

References

  1. ↑ Armstrong, Elizabeth (March 15, 2001). "The Pure Heart of Gangsta Rap". Chicago Reader.
  2. ↑ "Manning Marable's New Malcolm X Biography Investigates Conflicted Reality of the Civil Rights Leader". Democracy Now!.
  3. 1 2 "Dr. Michael Eric Dyson Heads to Vanderbilt - Higher Education". September 29, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Michael A. Fletcher (Spring 2000). "Michael Eric Dyson: A Scholar and a Hip-Hop Preacher.", The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education.
  5. ↑ Marie Arana (August 24, 2003). "Michael Eric Dyson. Telling It Any Way He Can.", The Washington Post.
  6. ↑ Michael Eric Dyson (April 2, 2011). "Manning Marable: A Brother, a Mentor, a Great Mind." Archived June 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, The Root.
  7. ↑ Dyson, Michael Eric (1993). Uses of heroes : celebration and criticism in the interpretation of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.
  8. ↑ Michael E Dyson, Department of Sociology, Georgetown University
  9. ↑ https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/takeaway/segments/professor-michael-eric-dyson-entertaining-race
  10. ↑ https://georgetownvoice.com/2021/06/01/georgetown-investigated-professor-michael-eric-dyson-for-student-harassment-allegations-before-his-hire-by-vanderbilt/
  11. ↑ 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.
  12. ↑ Austin Considine (February 5, 2006). "Disparities revealed in Katrina's wake / Race, class central to analysis of how nation failed victims", San Francisco Chronicle.
  13. ↑ Staff (April 2006). "The center of the storm", Ebony.
  14. ↑ Staff (January 16, 2006). "Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster", Publishers Weekly.
  15. ↑ Dyson, Michael Eric; Daulatzai, Sohail (December 28, 2009). Born To Use Mics: Reading Nas's Illmatic. Basic Civitas Books. pp. v–vi. ISBN 978-0-465-00211-5. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  16. ↑ Dyson; Daulatzai (2009). Born To Use Mics. Basic Books. p. 131. ISBN 9780465002115. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  17. ↑ Alessandro Porco (May 2009). "'Time is Illmatic': A Critical Retrospective on Nas's Groundbreaking Debut", Postmodern Culture – Volume 19, Number 3.
  18. ↑ Samuels, Allison (August 12, 2011). "Michael Eric Dyson Hire by MSNBC Deepens Black Ire Over Al Sharpton Show". The Daily Beast. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Munk Debates – Political Correctness". Archived from the original on December 4, 2018. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  20. ↑ Izadi, Elahe; Butler, Bethonie; Rao, Sonia (August 31, 2018). "'She gave us pride and a regal bar to reach': Everything that happened at Aretha Franklin's 8-hour funeral". Washington Post. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  21. ↑ Staff (2007). "Biography: Dr. Michael Eric Dyson" Archived November 1, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Common Ground Foundation, board members.
  22. ↑ Richard Prince (April 1, 2009). "Oprah to Inaugurate Michael Eric Dyson Radio Show" Archived November 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Maynard Institute. Richard Prince's Journal-isms™.
  23. ↑ "Dyson: Whites should open individual reparation accounts". February 2, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Georgetown investigated Professor Michael Eric Dyson for student harassment allegations before his hire by Vanderbilt". The Georgetown Voice. June 1, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  25. ↑ "WHY DOES VANDERBILT CONTINUE TO FAIL BLACK WOMEN". Her Campus. June 1, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  26. ↑ "'Temptations' tempt NAACP". Variety. March 7, 2004. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Image Awards honor Jamie Foxx, Bernie Mac". The Augusta Chronicle. February 27, 2006. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  28. ↑ American Booksellers Association (2013). "The American Book Awards / Before Columbus Foundation [1980–2012]". BookWeb. Archived from the original on March 13, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013. 2007 [...] Michael Eric Dyson, Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster (Basic Books)
  29. ↑ Williams, Kam (2007). "38th NAACP Image Awards (2007)". AALBC. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  30. ↑ "The 39th NAACP Image Award Nominations". Variety. January 8, 2008. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  31. ↑ McCarthy, Libby; Peters, Derek (February 14, 2008). "'Debaters' dominates Image Awards". Variety. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  32. ↑ "Awards: SIBA's Southern Book; Branford Boase". Shelf Awareness. July 6, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  33. ↑ Bosselman, Haley (March 27, 2021). "NAACP Image Awards 2021: The Complete Televised Winners List". Variety. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
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