Timothy B. Tyson is the author of The Blood of Emmett Till. A writer and historian, Tyson specializes in culture, race, and religion, and how these issues intersect with the civil rights movement. Tyson was born and raised in North Carolina, and the civil rights movement defined his childhood: His father, a Methodist minister, was driven from his church due to his support for civil rights. Tyson earned a BA from Emory University and a PhD from Duke University. He then embarked on an academic career focused on American history, ethnic studies, and African American studies. Tyson has won several awards for his work as a professor, including the Lilly Teaching Award and a Best Course Award from the North American Associate of Summer Sessions, shared with his colleagues for their “Freedom Ride: The Sites and Sounds of the Civil Rights Movement” course that took students on a tour of historical sites crucial to civil rights. In addition to The Blood of Emmett Till, Tyson has written several other books based on these themes, including Robert F. Williams, “Black Power,” and the Roots of the Black Freedom Struggle (1998) and Blood Done Sign My Name (2004), both of which were adapted for the stage.