Bethlehem, Pa., February 9, 2015- Moravian College continues its Black History Month celebration with a talk by Dr. Michael Eric Dyson on Thursday, February 26 at 7:00 p.m., in Foy Hall on Moravian College's Priscilla Payne Hurd (South) Campus. The event is open to the public and admission is free of charge. The talk is sponsored by Moravian College’s Office of Intercultural Advancement and Global Inclusion as part of programming to celebrate of Black History Month.
Named by Essence magazine as one of the 50 most inspiring African Americans in the U.S., Michael Eric Dyson 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 toughest and most controversial issues of the day, including race, politics and pop culture, with his fearless and fiery rhetoric.
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.
A popular professor of sociology at Georgetown University, Dyson is a speaker that will never bore audiences; his 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.
Dyson bridges gaps between generations, connecting civil rights identity to hip-hop culture, while forging links between older and younger Americans, especially black 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.
The talk is part of the Moravian College Black History Month Program. Moravian College encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have any questions about the physical access provided, please contact Moravian’s G. Christopher Hunt, Associate Dean of Student, at 610-861-1503 or at hunt@moravian.edu.
Moravian College is a private coeducational liberal arts college, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees, located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Tracing its founding to 1742, Moravian is recognized as America's sixth-oldest college and the first to educate women. The College emphasizes the deliberate integration of a broad-based liberal arts curriculum with hands-on learning experiences to prepare its 1,600 students, not just for jobs, but for successful careers. Moravian College excels at transforming good students into highly competent graduates who are ready to enter the workplace with confidence or shine in graduate school. Visit the Web site at www.moravian.edu.