Dr. Michael Dyson writes about Reverend Otis Moss III.
“Dancing in the Dark is a brilliant and poetic mediation on how Black moral genius can transform America.”
Otis Moss III hails from black coffee spiritual royalty. His father, Otis Moss Jr., developed his oratorical skills by speaking out against injustice alongside Martin Luther King, Jr., and becoming one of the greatest preachers in the history of American Christianity. Moss III is a light coffee-colored splash of Black masculinity — a handsome Hollywood wordsmith whose sacred rhetoric drips with the imperatives of Black prophetic urgency. His parish is a classic Black coffee congregation shaped by the stirring oratory of its previous shepherd, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
Otis Moss III is the minister of Trinity United Church of Christ Church.
N’DIGO: How did the book title come about? “Dancing in the Darkness.”
Rev. Otis Moss: In 2008, we went through a disturbance and racist attack on the church because of comments made by Rev. Jeremiah Wright. About 40 media outlets showed up at the church looking for a quote from me. I was receiving death threats. Personally, the church was threatened, and so was Dr. Wright. We had to have security at church with searches and dog sniffing for the congregation. We had to get private security. One night my wife and I heard movement in the house. My wife, Monica, heard something in the house, and I was prepared to defend my family and my home. I heard the noise again coming from a bedroom. My five-year-old daughter was dancing in the dark. The spirit spoke to me and said she was dancing in the darkness, but the darkness was not in her. It was 3 am, and I wrote my sermon based on what I saw with my daughter. Her pigtails were moving, and she was so proud to let me see her dancing. The moral of the story is joy comes in the morning. Her story was so powerful. We, as Black people, dance in the dark – ancestrally.
Why did you write the book?
I recognized a spiritual itch that people have been trying to scratch, and they ended up empty. We were itching for love and justice. Those two values are at the heart of our work internally and allow us to develop externally and allow us to create a society where everyone is included. Love without justice is sentimentally, and justice without love can easily become brutality. But when the two marry, they have two children named Liberation and Transformation.
What is transformation? How do we do it?
It means becoming something new. It means America can’t be what America has been — a maga. Vision makes America great again, excludes Black. Transformation means letting America be what it has never been.
How has the ministry changed since the pandemic?
There are two aspects to the ministry shift. First, the pandemic has forced change. There are types of Black churches. One flows from the Black church tradition, love, and justice fighting for dignity. Some churches have Black people looking for a church on Sunday. The pandemic made us reassess ministry beyond the confines of the building. As a result, churches realize we can significantly impact feeding the hungry, caring for elders, creating safe spaces for children, and speaking truth to power beyond medical conditions. Church was never involved in community work but got involved when the pandemic came. Churches expanded with digital, and some had to learn how to use digital. Some had to learn how to use the phone with cameras, and some used social media. Some pastors realized they had to be producers. A good producer brings talented people together to use their gifts for a singular purpose.
What change happened to America after the George Floyd murder?
For the first time, white people were able to tune in to BPT — Black Pain TV, where they witnessed what we have witnessed all the time. We have been shouting police officers occupy our communities and see us as a problem. We have been giving our children the talk since 1910 on how to act when out. It is not that more is happening. It is that more is being recorded.
What dynamics do you see with the three dynamics of change?
First, a generation that has no limitations. But deeply suspicious of institutions. No limit soldiers, Master P. You will have the most dangerous institutions if you connect them to history and spirituality. A generation that believes in transformation believes in love and justice, and if they turn to their ancestors and elders for guidance, they will recognize and layout patterns for a powerful spirituality.
Do politics matter?
Absolutely. But the Black agenda is more important. The right agenda can force the politician.
Moral genius. What is it? Who has it?
Historically our ancestors were extraordinary. The lineage is a world that is not but exists. Harriet Tubman goes back to the South to release slaves. Frederick Douglas was invited to speak to arrogant whites, and he spoke about Freedom. The Pullman Porters pulled together to organize. The Defender was delivered to the South to encourage the great migration. Marcus Garvey had a global crusade in the 1920s. His initiative was in Australia, London, Liberia, and Louisiana. He registered people in these spaces fighting for Panafricanism.
Where is Trinity United Church of Christ today?
Trinity is doing exceptionally well. We are blessed by God. We are transforming the 95th Street corridor. We are a local church with a global impact. We are developing a farm, housing, hotel, and a health center.
