![](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/389/2018/12/04024426/Michael-Eric-Dyson-e1543913170290.jpg)
By A.J. Harris
Ebony magazine had previously named Michael Eric Dyson one of the 150 most powerful African Americans in the country, and he is coming to speak at Illinois State University this January.
Dyson will deliver the keynote address for the Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Dinner at 5 p.m. Friday, January 25, 2019, in Redbird Arena.
An American Book Award recipient and two-time NAACP Image Award winner, Dyson’s most recent book, Can You Hear Me Now? The Inspiration, Wisdom, and Insight of Michael Eric Dyson, deals with topics ranging from cultural and humanitarian problems, race, and the presidency, while his first book, 1993’s Reflecting Black: African American Cultural Criticism, helped establish the field of black American cultural studies.
Dyson is a professor of sociology at Georgetown University, a contributing editor to TIME magazine, has appeared on nearly every major media outlet, and hosts a news and talk program on NPR, The Michael Eric Dyson Show.
Ebony magazine also said he is reshaping what it means to be a public intellectual by becoming the most visible black academic of his time.
While the event is currently sold out, to be placed on a waiting list contact the office of Presidential and Trustee events by calling (309) 438-8790.
A.J. Harris can be reached at [email protected]