Michael Eric Dyson was born in 1958 in Detroit, Michigan. Dyson’s mother was born and raised in Alabama during the Jim Crow era. She used to work at the family farm before moving to Detroit to work as a teachers’ assistant in public schools. Dyson was influenced by his mother’s courage and determination. He was raised by her and his stepfather in the inner city of Detroit. As a young boy, Dyson used to help his stepfather with his work and later worked at a factory for years to support his family. He became an ordained Baptist minister at the age of 19.

Dyson attended public schools, where his teachers recognized his potential and encouraged him to be proud of his African American heritage. Dyson was an avid reader of literature at an early age and listened to African American musicians. During the 1960s, Dyson was a boy, and his childhood was shaped by the turbulent events of the era. With the race riots in Detroit in 1967, Dyson witnessed the effects of police brutality and the destruction around the city. During the riots, many people died, or were injured or arrested. The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.