Michael Eric Dyson. Ph. D.

Biography

Michael Eric Dyson, Ph.D., 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 doctorate in Religion from Princeton University, Dyson has taught at some of the nation’s most distinguished universities, including Brown, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Columbia, DePaul, the University of Pennsylvania, and Georgetown University.

He is presently the Centennial Chair and 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 at Vanderbilt University.

Dr. Dyson is one of America’s premier public intellectuals and author of over 25 books, including seven New York Times bestsellers. His writing, known for its depth, covers various topics. Through his writing, Dyson challenges readers to think deeply about important issues and to consider new perspectives. Dr. 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.

His 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 mustread and must-teach.” Also, Dyson has written columns for the Chicago SunTimes and contributed opinion pieces to the New York Times.

Dyson has been a preacher and pastor for the past 40 years, ordained at Detroit’s Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church. He has given sermons at many notable churches across the country, including the Riverside Church in Manhattan, Concord Baptist Church in Brooklyn, Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, St. Paul Baptist Church in Richmond, First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem, Christ Missionary Baptist Church in Memphis, Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, and his current home church, the Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia.

In addition to preaching at traditional churches, Dyson continues to give lectures at universities and public theaters around the world. Dyson has also worked as a journalist and media commentator for the past 30 years, appearing on many radio and television shows such as NPR’s Morning Edition, The Takeaway, and Fresh Air with Terry Gross, as well as Meet the Press, Face the Nation, Today Show, Good Morning America, and Real Time with Bill Maher.

Dr. Dyson has worked as a political analyst for MSNBC and made guest appearances on scripted cable and network television programs such as Soul Food, The Game, and Black-ish. He has also appeared on CNN and Fox News to analyze politics and culture. Dyson is proudly married to writer and ordained minister Marcia L. Dyson.