Reverend Dr. Otis Moss lll '92 "In This 'House": Founder's Week Convocation 2022

In observance of the 155th anniversary of the founding of Morehouse College, the 2022 Founder's Day Convocation is being held in Frank L. Forbes Arena on the campus of Morehouse College.

The speaker for the event is Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III '92.

A third-generation warrior for civil and human rights, Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, III '92, has built
his ministry on community advancement and racial and social justice activism. As Senior
Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Ill., since 2008, Dr. Moss routinely
preaches and practices a Black theology that unapologetically calls attention to the
problems of mass incarceration, environmental justice and economic inequality.
Dr. Moss is part of a generation of ministers committed to preaching a prophetic message
of love and justice, which he believes are inseparable companions that form the
foundation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As part of his community engagement through
Trinity United Church of Christ, Dr. Moss is currently providing vision for an ongoingmulti-year social project in Chicago called Imani Village. The goal of Imani Village is to
develop and build a physical and social community at 95th & Cottage Grove, gateway to
Chicago’s Pullman Community. The project is designed to provide all of the components
a community would need to be whole, including a medical health center, lodging for
tourists, housing for multiple generations, multiple options for fresh food and vegetables,
and a sports and recreation center.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Dr. Moss is an honors graduate of Morehouse College who
earned a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School, and a Doctor of Ministry degree
from Chicago Theological Seminary.

Dr. Moss has a passion for preaching, which led him back to the classroom. As a visiting
lecturer of homiletics at Mercer University's McAfee School of Theology, Dr. Moss
helped up-and-coming preachers build and strengthen their own preaching ministries. In
early 2022, Dr. Moss was named a professor of homiletics at McAfee, where he will
continue to teach the next generation of preachers.

In addition to being an author and educator, Dr. Moss is also founder and CEO of the
Unashamed Media Group, established in 2012. The production company is a faith based
social justice collective, dedicated to curating stories to inspire the heart and challenge
structures that hinder human flourishing. The Group’s latest production, Otis’ Dream, is a
narrative documentary short film, highlighting Otis Moss, Sr.’s 1946 attempt to vote in
Troup County, Ga. The film has not only been featured on Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul
Sunday, The Joy Reid Show and Roland Martin Unfiltered, but it is also the winner of
eight film festival awards in the United Kingdom and the United States. Festival awards
include, best narrative short, best documentary short, best musical score, best actor and
audience favorite. Currently Unashamed Media is in pre-production for a feature length
version of Otis’ Dream.

With a unique gift to communicate across generations, Dr. Moss’ creative bible-based
messages have inspired young and old alike. His intergenerational preaching gift has
made Dr. Moss a popular speaker on college campuses, at conferences, and churches
across the globe. He is highly influenced by the works of Zora Neale Hurston, August
Wilson, Howard Thurman, Jazz, and Hip-Hop music. The work and legacy of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., and the pastoral ministry of his father, Dr. Otis Moss, Jr. of Cleveland,
Ohio, have been primary mentors for his spiritual formation.

Dr. Moss is an ordained minister in the Progressive National Baptist Convention and the
United Church of Christ. In addition to his other ministerial duties, he also serves as
chaplain of the Children’s Defense Fund’s Samuel DeWitt Proctor Child Advocacy
Conference.
He is married to his college sweetheart, the former Monica Brown of Orlando, Fla., a
Spelman College and Columbia University graduate. They are the proud parents of two
creative and humorous children, Elijah Wynton and Makayla Elon.