Author, Professor Michael Eric Dyson Will Speak at Sunday's "Justice For John" Rally

On Tuesday Jim noted the rally for John Wiley Price scheduled for 4:30 p.m. this Sunday at the St. Luke "Community" United Methodist Church on East R.L. Thornton Freeway. But, moments ago, we received further details from Vincent Hall, the Dallas County commissioner's office manager, who notes via press release that the rally is being sponsored by Justice for John, "a committee of concerned citizens, social justice organizations, churches and civic groups."

And it will feature among its scheduled speakers not only Zan Holmes but also Georgetown University sociology professor Michael Eric Dyson, author of such books as Debating Race, Is Bill Cosby Right? Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?, and April 4, 1968 Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Death and How It Changed America. I asked Hall how they managed to land Dyson, who also hosts a public-radio show and is a frequent guest on Meet the Press and Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO.

Says Hall, Dyson "has been a friend of the commissioner's over the years, and we were able to get him to attend." The reason Dyson was invited, says Hall, is because "the whole issue of the FBI investigating African-American officials isn't new to Dallas, and you've got elected officials all over the country dealing with the same thing. So I think he'll hit on it from the national and local perspective. He's been through Dallas quite a bit on book tours, and speaking to churches here for the last 15, 20 years, so he knows Dallas."

I've left a message for and sent an email to Dyson; I'll post a new item when he get back to us. Till then, this too is from the release: "The 94.5 radio show, Freddy Haynes Unscripted, will broadcast live from the rally. The Justice for John committee recognizes that Commissioner Price has stood for us and we will stand with him. Those who believe in JUSTICE FOR ALL are urged to attend."