'Open Mike' night for Dyson

He's no stranger to the stage. Michael Eric Dyson, an ordained Baptist minister, looked right at home when he took the stage before more than 60 people at the Penn bookstore Friday to attend his booksigning and discussion. Dyson, Penn's Avalon Professor in the Humanities, who received his Ph.D. in religion from Princeton University, is also the author of two new books entitled Open Mike: Reflections on Philosophy, Race, Sex, Culture and Religion and Why I Love Black Women. In the past, Dyson's books have inspired other intellectual ventures for the author. For example, Dyson is currently teaching an African American Studies course entitled "Tupac Shakur" -- the subject of his recent bestseller Holler If You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur. Dyson, who claims that "this culture is intolerant of true diversity," explained that the purpose of his book on Shakur is to get at the complex ideas, identities and political battles surrounding the contested religious figure of pop culture. And his most recent books follow suit. "These books attempt to reflect critically on profound social, moral, political, gender and racial issues in ways intellectuals and common people will understand," Dyson said. Dyson also used the booksigning as an opportunity to thank University President Judith Rodin, who helped bring him to Penn, because she wanted to make sure that Penn was an intellectual center for first-rate thought. In return, Dyson said he feels it is his mission to take learning at Penn to the next level. "I am proud to be here to forge connections to make sure that African American Studies is seen as a legitimate discipline in both moral and ethical dimensions," he stated. "Teaching is beautiful. I love to challenge and be challenged by students." Marc Hill, a teaching assistant for the course on Shakur, attended the booksigning and had nothing but praise for Dyson. "Professor Dyson is a great role model, a dynamic teacher and one of the few black academic superstars around," Hill said. "As a TA, I learn not just about content but about how he approaches teaching and scholarly work in general." Dyson's book Open Mike is divided into three main sections and focuses on the issues of debates in academic and philosophical realms. It also addresses ideas of postmodern theory, theological arguments and racial identity. This book differs from Dyson's previous books in that it consists of interviews he conducted over the past 10 years. Why I Love Black Women, Dyson's other recently published book, was inspired by his anger toward the vicious myths that were circulating about black women both in hip hop and the larger cultural realm. The book celebrates everyday black women and addresses social problems as well as controversial issues like interracial dating. Dyson also stressed that the college experience is about diversity of thought and experience, and said that people of different ethnicities and with different names should interact to gain a better understanding of the world. "Different ways of knowing the world and trying to challenge what we think is knowledge," Dyson concluded.