Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Lecture: Dr. Michael Eric Dyson

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture is sponsored by the Akron-Summit County Public Library, the Eta Tau Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., and the Ohio Humanities Spark Grant.

Dr. Michael Eric Dyson

Michael Eric Dyson is one of the nation’s most renowned professors, gifted writers, inspiring preachers, knowledgeable lecturers, and prominent media personalities. As a teacher who earned a PhD in Religion from Princeton University, Dyson has taught at some of the nation’s most distinguished universities, including Brown, UNC Chapel Hill, Columbia, DePaul, the University of Pennsylvania, and Georgetown University. He is presently Distinguished University Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies, College of Arts & Science; and Distinguished University Professor of Ethics and Society, The Divinity School; and NEH Centennial Chair at Vanderbilt University. Dyson is one of America’s premier public intellectuals and author of over 25 books, including seven New York Times bestsellers. Dyson’s esteemed literary output won him the 2020 Langston Hughes Medal, which in the past was awarded to James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, and August Wilson. Dyson has also won an American Book Award, a Southern Book Award, and two NAACP Image Awards.

Dyson has written bestselling volumes on Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, 2Pac, Marvin Gaye, Bill Cosby, and Barack Obama. Among his notable publications are "Reflecting Black: African American Cultural Criticism," his pioneering book of Black cultural studies; "I May Not Get There With You: The True Martin Luther King Jr.," his first book on the civil rights icon that probed his radical dimensions; "Holler if You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur," which, according to Publisher’s Weekly, helped to prove that hip hop books are commercially viable; and "Is Bill Cosby Right? Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?" which helped to renew a conversation on class in Black America. Dyson’s book on Cosby, and his popular volume, "Why I Love Black Women," both won prestigious NAACP Image Awards for nonfiction.

Dyson’s most recent book, "Unequal: A Story of America," published in May 2022, is a volume for young readers penned with renowned writer and editor Marc Favreau. Publishers Weekly says that this “searing look at attempts to block students ‘from learning the truth of inequality in the United States’ encourages readers to acknowledge the deep-seated presence of structural racism in America. A must-read and must-teach.” And Kirkus Review says that this “accessible, riveting collection will inspire readers to claim responsibility for helping to ensure that the U.S. one day lives up to its most ethical professed ideas.”

Dyson has lectured across the country, and around the world, in many of the best colleges and universities, in public theaters and auditoriums, and for many corporations and unions. He has also served for the last 30 years as a journalist, media commentator, and host, on every major radio and television show, from NPR’s "Morning Edition," "The Takeaway," and "Fresh Air With Terry Gross," to television’s "Meet the Press," "Face the Nation," "Today Show," "Good Morning America," and "Real Time with Bill Maher." Dyson has served as a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, as a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times, and as a political analyst for MSNBC. Dyson has also frequently appeared on CNN and Fox News to offer political and cultural analysis. Dyson has even found time to make guest appearances on scripted cable and network television programs such as "Soul Food," "The Game," and "Black-ish." While feminist author Naomi Wolf calls Dyson “the ideal public intellectual of our times,” writer Nathan McCall captures it best when he says that Dyson “is a street fighter in suit and tie.”

This is a free event. Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors to the auditorium will open at 1:30 pm.

Free parking is available in the High Street parking deck on weekends.

This program is made possible, in part, by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Ohio Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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