Michael Eric Dyson

Michael Eric Dyson was named by Essence magazine as one of the 50 most inspiring African Americans in the U.S. He is also a best-selling author, one of the nation's most renowned public intellectuals, and he has revitalized the title with the fervor of an ordained Baptist minister. Called "a street fighter in a suit and tie," he takes on the most controversial issues of the day, including politics, pop culture and race with his fearless and fiery rhetoric.

A popular professor of sociology at Georgetown University, Dyson is a speaker that will never bore audiences. Michael's presentations are thought-provoking, unwavering and foster social change. His excitement on the topics he speaks on—racial profiling and its impact on black America, the sociology of hip hop, and Dr. King for the 21st Century, among others—is contagious.

An MSNBC political analyst and former host of NPR's The Michael Eric Dyson Show, Dyson is also an award-winning author. His speeches and books both provide some of the most significant commentary on modern social and intellectual thought today, 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; and Mercy, Mercy Me: The Art, Loves and Demons of Marvin Gaye deeply probe social themes and cultural politics.

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