The widely known African-American cultural commentator Michael Eric Dyson brought his intellect and social consciousness to the University on Wednesday night during the Martin Luther King Jr. commencement celebration and imparted on the hundreds present the distinction between learning and schooling.
Dyson, a Georgetown sociology professor, grew up and went to school in segregated Detroit in the 1960s and was inspired by his teachers and pastors to be smart, religious and socially engaged.
“Learn how to think — the point of coming to school is not to memorize facts, but to have a living experiment with learning,” Dyson said. “A vibrant, seductive, erotic exchange with ideas. Now, I don’t mean sleep with every idea,” he joked.
Dyson is the author of 18 books, including “Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster” and “Know What I Mean?: Reflections on Hip-Hop”. He has appeared on nationally televised shows such as “The O’Reilly Factor” and “The Colbert Report” to discuss race relations, politics and black and hip-hop culture.
Dyson’s eloquent dialogue turned a podium speech into one more similar to a church sermon.
Dyson encouraged students to emulate King by committing to justice and non-violence throughout the year. He suggested helping the poor and vulnerable and volunteering at the soup kitchen as ways to do so.
Activists should strive to challenge public policy, he said, and that is something Dyson has done his whole life.
Dyson said he is motivated by a desire to share his knowledge and help people wrestle with big issues, and said he hopes to speak up for those who are vulnerable. He said the younger generations are getting better at handling the big issues, especially race.
“Young people are more open to multi-racial ideas, wisdom and success,” Dyson said. “Obama is president because the hip-hop culture was accepted by the young generation as was a tool to getting the black culture into white homes.”
During his speech about King, Dyson emphasized words as a tool for change. He also said King would have gotten nowhere without the help of strong women supporting him.
Dyson teaches a class about sociology and hip-hop culture, particularly through the work of rapper Jay-Z. Dyson showed himself to be a hip-hop connoisseur when explaining the fortitude of Rosa Parks.
“Rosa Parks wasn’t a weak woman with tired feet. She was saying, ‘They ask me what I do and who I do it for,’” laughed Dyson while referencing recent rap phenomenon 2 Chainz. “All I want for my birthday… is a big book of prose.”
This along with many other pop culture references kept the audience laughing and singing along to songs by Marvin Gaye, Jay-Z and Tupac Shakur.
Dyson closed by saying a president alone is not enough to make a change in the way people think and act. He said society needs both prophets and presidents, because prophets challenge the status quo while presidents work within its limits.
