Professor Dawson's research focuses on the African diaspora and its cultural expressions. He has taught seminars on African Spirituality in the Americas and has worked in various roles, including as a photographer, filmmaker, curator, arts administrator, and consultant.

Dawson served as the curator of photography, film, and video at the Studio Museum in Harlem (NYC), the director of special projects at the Caribbean Cultural Center (NYC), and as both a curatorial consultant and the director of education at the Museum for African Art (NYC).

As a photographer, Dawson has exhibited his work in over 30 exhibitions and has curated more than 40 exhibitions, including notable showcases such as Harlem Heyday: The Photographs of James Van Der Zee and The Sound I Saw: The Jazz Photographs of Roy DeCarava.

He has also been involved with several award-winning films, including Head and Heart by James Mannas and Capoeiras of Brazil by Warrington Hudlin.