Tyson Amir

Tyson Amir is an author, educator, musician, and community organizer from the San Francisco Bay Area, raised on the East Side of San Jose. He is the author of Black Boy Poems (2016) and Carry on Tradition: A History of Righteous Rebellion (2024), and co-author of their companion curricula, the Black Boy Poems Curriculum (2018) and the Carry on Tradition Curriculum (2025, with Ashia Bomani Ojore), which are aligned to California History–Social Science, ELA, and Ethnic Studies standards.

Tyson is the founder and director of Freedom Soul Media Education Initiatives (FSMEI), a revolutionary education consultancy for 21st-century schools, and of the Black Literary Collective. Through FSMEI he designs and leads culturally grounded programs, including the BLACK Program, RISE, Articulation is Power, and Living Manuals. In his direct work in schools, FSMEI has partnered with more than 50 school districts and 175 schools, delivered more than 480 programs, and served more than 45,000 students (as of January 2026). His impact reaches far beyond the schools he visits: educators across the country teach his books and curricula in their own classrooms, bringing his work to many thousands more students.

Tyson also works to address racism and anti-Blackness in curriculum and school climate. He has helped write, lead, and win adoption of district policies that protect students, and other districts have since used those policies as models for their own. He continues to lead in education as a speaker, curriculum designer, and advisor to school and district leaders.