MLK Lecture Series Features Dyson

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Distinguished Lecture Series is coming to UWG with guest speaker Dr. Michael Eric Dyson on Thursday, March 27, at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center Ballroom.

Dyson is a nationally recognized African American scholar, author and minister  who received his doctorate in religion from Princeton University. He has gained star appeal on shows such as “Rap City,” “Def Poetry Jam” and “The Colbert Report.” Dyson also hosts his own syndicated radio show, “The Michael Eric Dyson Show,” which addresses social, cultural and political issues in a contemporary venue.

Dr. Michael Eric Dyson

Essence magazine named Dyson as one of the 40 most inspiring African-Americans and Ebony magazine hailed the professor as one of the 100 most influential black Americans.

The event is free and is hosted by the Center for African-American Male Research, Success and Leadership (CAAMRSL.) 

“The lecture series helps inspire UWG students,” said Dr. Said Sewell, associate professor of political science and planning and director of CAMMRSL. “By bringing Dr. Dyson, we continue to fulfill our duty to motivate students and the surrounding community. Dr. Michael Dyson will help us persevere in our endless journey of greatness.”

While Dyson has taught at some of the nation’s most prestigious universities, including Brown and Columbia Universities and University of Pennsylvania, his influence extends beyond the academy and into political conventions, union halls, prisons, bookstores, church sanctuaries and lecture stages across the world.

Dyson’s accomplishments as an author includes Martin Luther King, Jr.’s radical legacy in “I May Not Get There With You: The True Martin Luther King, Jr.” and issues of racial conflict and black identity in “Race Rules: Navigating the Color Line.”

His other publications include “Holler If You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur” and “Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster.” The UWG Bookstore has several titles available for purchase and will have the books on sale at the event.

Sewell opened the CAMMRSL in 2005 to develop and implement programs that help African American males have a successful transition from high school to post-secondary institutions. For more information, call 678-839-4997.