Timothy Tyson
Timothy Tyson | |
---|---|
Born | 1959 (age 64–65) Raleigh, North Carolina, United States |
Occupation | Historian; author |
Timothy B. Tyson (born 1959) is an American writer and historian who specializes in the issues of culture, religion, and race associated with the
His books have won the
In 2017, Tyson published The Blood of Emmett Till, which won the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award and was longlisted for the National Book Award, but which was later subject to controversy regarding a reported confession made by Till's accuser Carolyn Bryant to Tyson which could not be substantiated.[2][3][4]
Early life and education
Tyson was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. His parents are Vernon Tyson, a Methodist minister, and Martha Tyson, a school teacher.
Tyson attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Emory University in 1987. He received his PhD in history from Duke University in 1994.
Career
Teaching
Tyson began his teaching career at Duke University in 1994 while finishing his doctorate. During that time, he was named Research Fellow at Duke's Center for Ethical Studies for his work, "Dynamite: A Story from the Second Reconstruction in South Carolina," which was later published in the collection Jumpin' Jim Crow: The New Southern Political History, published by
Tyson currently serves as Senior Research Scholar at Duke University's Center for Documentary Studies, with secondary appointments at the Duke Divinity School and the Department of History. At the Divinity School, Tyson teaches about race, religion and civil rights in the South.[6] He also has a position in the Department of American Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
In 2007, Tyson taught an experimental course entitled "The South in Black and White," which met at the Hayti Heritage Center in downtown Durham, for students at Duke, North Carolina Central University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.[7] In the fall of 2008, Tyson and Mary D. Williams, a leading gospel singer, led a community-based course in Wilmington, called "Wilmington in Black and White." Meeting at the historic Williston School, participants explored the ways that Southern history and culture can illuminate efforts at racial reconciliation and healing in one community.
Tyson serves on the executive board of the North Carolina NAACP and the UNC Center for Civil Rights.[8]
Books
Democracy Betrayed: The Wilmington Race Riot of 1898 and Its Legacy
Tyson's first book, Democracy Betrayed: The Wilmington Race Riot of 1898 and Its Legacy (1998), was co-edited with David S. Cecelski. Its publication marked the centennial of the
In 2006, Tyson wrote a 16-page article on the events in Wilmington for the
Radio Free Dixie: Robert F. Williams and the Roots of Black Power
In 1998, Tyson published an article, "Robert F. Williams, 'Black Power,' and the Roots of the Black Freedom Struggle", in the
Sandra Dickson and Churchill Roberts adapted the material as
Blood Done Sign My Name
Tyson authored
The book has been accused of having a number of factual inaccuracies.[2]
The Blood of Emmett Till
Published in 2017, The Blood of Emmett Till reexamines the lynching of Emmett Till in 1955. The book was a New York Times bestseller, won the 2018 Robert F. Kennedy Book Award and was longlisted for the National Book Award. In the book, Tyson alleges that Carolyn Bryant had recanted her original testimony in a recorded conversation she had with Tyson, but a subsequent investigation did not corroborate this after the recording provided to investigators did not support this assertion.[10][3][4] Tyson provided multiple explanations for why the comment wasn't recorded, including that the recorder wasn't working while Bryant made the comment, that the recording was lost, or that the tape recorder wasn't on. Tyson said that the comment was made in a conversation he had with Bryant in July 2008, but according to archived emails from August 2008, Tyson had not yet met Bryant by that time, which Tyson has not provided an explanation for.[2]
Wake County School Board protest
Tyson was arrested on June 15, 2010 by
Publications
- Democracy Betrayed: The Wilmington Race Riot of 1898 and Its Legacy. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. 1998. ISBN 9780807847558. (co-editor with David S. Cecelski)
- Radio Free Dixie: Robert F. Williams and the Roots of Black Power. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. 1999. ISBN 0807849235.
- Blood Done Sign My Name: A True Story. New York: Three Rivers Press. 2004. ISBN 1400083117.
- The Blood of Emmett Till. New York: Simon & Schuster. 2017. ISBN 978-1476714851.
References
- ^ "2007– Timothy Tyson". Archived from the original on 2015-02-11.
- ^ a b c Mitchell, Jerry (2023-08-28). "The Emmett Till lynching has seen more than its share of liars. Is Tim Tyson one of them?". Mississippi Today. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
- ^ a b Barrett, Davlin (December 7, 2021). "Justice Department closes Emmett Till investigation without filing charges", The Washington Post. Retrieved June 2, 2022
- ^ a b "Bombshell quote missing from Emmett Till tape. So did Carolyn Bryant Donham really recant?". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
- ^ "The Ghosts of 1898". The News and Observer. November 17, 2006. p. 132. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
- ^ Duke History Department
- ^ The South in Black and White Archived 2011-07-18 at the Wayback Machine, Center for Documentary Studies, Duke University
- ^ "Timothy B. Tyson". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ NABJ Announces 2007 Salute to Excellence Award Winners Archived 2009-01-06 at the Wayback Machine
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
- ^ "'Non-violent protest' halts Wake school board meeting", WRAL.com