Michael Eric Dyson, a Georgetown University sociology professor, New York Times contributing opinion writer and contributing editor of The New Republic and ESPN’s The Undefeated website, delivered the 2019 address for Maryville University’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration.
Dyson delivered a powerful message about race in America. “We must be concerned about, and pay attention to, the issue of race in America,” Dyson said. “It makes a difference for us to fight for justice, to make sure barriers are lowered, impediments are removed and obstacles eradicated so people are allowed to exist freely in their own bodies.”
Dyson argued the only way to achieve a socially just America is by embracing our differences. “America at its best is about the teeming, bustling diversity that makes us all uncomfortable,” he said. “We must make a space and place for every religion, identity and understanding of the world in which we live.”
Additionally, Dyson met with members of the Maryville community during his daylong visit. Events included a book signing, a reception hosted by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and a faculty and staff book discussion around his recent work “Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America.”