In conversation with Dr. James Peterson, Director of Africana Studies and Associate Professor of English at Lehigh University. MSNBC Contributor

“One of the most graceful and lucid intellectuals writing on race and politics today” (Vanity Fair), Michael Eric Dyson is the author of 18 books, a frequent New York Times op-ed contributor, an ordained Baptist minister, a Georgetown professor, an MSNBC political analyst, and former host of his own radio show. Examining topics and people such as Malcolm X, Tupac Shakur, Hurricane Katrina, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Bill Cosby, his work has earned him an American Book Award, two NAACP Image Awards, and teaching positions at some of America’s most prestigious colleges, including the University of Pennsylvania, Brown, and Columbia. In his new book, Dyson dives into the meaning and legacy of America’s first black President.