Black History Celebration Kicks Off with Spiritual and Civil Rights Leader Otis Moss III

St. Louis County Library’s Black History Celebration kicks off with a special event with Dr. Otis Moss III, Senior Pastor at Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ and author of “Dancing in the Darkness: Spiritual Lessons for Thriving in Turbulent Times.”

The event will take place on Monday, January 30, at 7:00 p.m. at the Florissant Valley Branch, 195 New Florissant Rd. S., Florissant MO 63031.

Books will be available for purchase at the event from Left Bank Books.

Reverend Otis Moss, III, Senior Pastor at Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ and one of the country’s most renowned and beloved spiritual and civil rights leaders, shares a guide to uplift our spirits as we work for justice in these politically turbulent times.

In 2008, the Trinity United Church in Chicago received threats when one of its parishioners, Senator Barack Obama, ran for president. “We’re going to kill you” rang in Reverend Otis Moss’s ears when he suddenly heard a noise in the middle of the night. He grabbed a baseball bat to confront the intruder in his home. When he opened the door to his daughter’s room, he found that the source of the noise was his own little girl, dancing. She was simply practicing for her ballet recital.

In that moment, Pastor Moss saw that the real intruder was within him. Caught in a cycle of worry and anger, he had allowed the darkness inside. But seeing his daughter evoked Psalm 30: “You have turned my mourning into dancing.” He set out to write the sermon that became this inspiring and transformative book.

“Dancing in the Darkness” is a life-affirming guide to the practical, political, and spiritual challenges of our day. Drawing on the teachings of Dr. King, Howard Thurman, sacred scripture, southern wisdom, global spiritual traditions, Black culture, and his own personal experiences, Dr. Moss offers insight into building spiritual resistance by combining justice and love.

Otis Moss III built his ministry on community empowerment and social justice activism. As senior pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Illinois, Dr. Moss spent the last two decades practicing and preaching a Black theology that unapologetically calls attention to the problem of mass incarceration, environmental justice, and economic apartheid. Hailed as one of the “twelve most of effective preachers in the English-speaking world” by Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary, he has been cited by Chicago Magazine as one of the city’s 30 most influential people and recognized as an NAACP Image Award recipient.

Program sites are accessible. With at least two weeks' notice, accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities. Call 314-994-3300 or contact us.