Tiya Miles is an award-winning professor of American Culture, History, and Women's Studies at the University of Michigan. She is an expert in African American history and culture, and has written extensively on the subjects of race, gender, and identity in the United States. Her work has been featured in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe. She is the author of several books, including The Dawn of Detroit: A Chronicle of Slavery and Freedom in the City of the Straits and Ties That Bind: The Story of an Afro-Cherokee Family in Slavery and Freedom.