Dyson to deliver keynote address April 23 at SU for African American Male Congress’ Baccalaureate

Dyson to deliver keynote address April 23 at SUfor African American Male Congress’ BaccalaureateMarch 30, 2004Matthew R. Snydermrsnyder@syr.edu

The African American Male Congress (AAMC) at Syracuse University will culminate its seventh annual Talented Tenth Leadership Institute with a keynote address from acclaimed lecturer and author Michael Eric Dyson. Dyson will speak at the AAMC’s Baccalaureate, April 23 at 4 p.m. in Hendricks Chapel.This is the inaugural AAMC baccalaureate; it will become an annual event honoring the accomplishments of AAMC members.The Baccalaureate is open to the public; free tickets are available at the Schine Box Office. Dyson was previously scheduled to speak at SU in January, but was forced to reschedule because of illness.

Dyson is an Avalon Professor in the Humanities at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, he has taught at DePaul University, Chicago Theological Seminary, the University of North Carolina, Columbia and Brown universities. He earned a Ph.D. in religion at Princeton University and is also an ordained Baptist minister. His appearance at SU is sponsored by the Collegiate Science & Technology Program (CSTEP), the Tom Peters Company, The Kaleidoscope Project and the Student Fee.

A widely published author and frequent media commentator, he has written nine acclaimed books including the recent bestsellers “Why I Love Black Women,” “Open Mike: Reflections on Philosophy, Race, Sex, Culture and Religion,” “Holler If You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur,” as well as examinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. He writes a monthly column for Savoy magazine, is a contributing editor at Christian Century, and is a contributor for Vibe magazine. He has received awards from the National Association of Black Journalists and the NAACP.

The African American Male Congress was founded in 1998. The vision for the organization is to be the premier student organization for African American male emergent leaders. Its mission is to evaluate and seek to resolve the social, economic and political issues that affect African Americans;serve as a support system for African American men; to promote the growth and development of African American male student leaders; and to build coalitions among leaders of student organizations.

For more information about Dyson’s appearance, e-mail aknasir@mailbox.syr.edu.