More than 300 people are expected to attend best-selling author Michael Eric Dyson’s Saturday seminar hosted by the Africana Studies Department.
Dyson, once included in Ebony Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential black Americans, will address the brunch’s theme, “Forty Years Wandering in the Academic Desert: Does Anyone See the Promised Land?” at 11 a.m. in the SUB Ballrooms.
UNM senior Kyran Worrell said he learned of Dyson’s work through Africana Studies independent study and course work.
“It is important being that we are in New Mexico, we have an opportunity to have a black intellectual visit the campus — someone who is very influential not only in the black community but the community at large,” he said. “He is one of the leading voices concerning issues dealing with African Americans.”
Dyson is the author of 16 books, including Holler if You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur, Is Bill Cosby Right? and I May Not Get There With You: The True Martin Luther King, Jr. Following the conversation, Dyson will sign his books.
Africana Studies Program Director Alfred Mathewson said he invited Dyson to speak because of his national prominence and scholarly studies on race in America.
“The idea is to bring in a speaker of national significance, who can come in and bring a broader perspective on issues dealing with African Americans,” he said.
Contact Sonia Rankin for more info at sgrankin@unm.edu or at 277-3769.
Brunch tickets available for $25 at unmtickets.com or the UNM Ticket Office
