LEAD CO-HOSTS: Lisa Sharon Harper and Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis GUEST: Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, Jr.  

Where to begin? Reverend Dr. Otis Moss, Jr. is one of America’s most distinguished voices, advocating for the achievement of education, civil and human rights, health care and social justice. His influence is global and revered. The FOUR are honored to invite Dr. Moss into a two part conversation with this influential and very special leader. 

Reverend Moss co-pastored with Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr. at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, and was a board member and regional director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) during Dr. King’s tenure as founding president. He marched alongside Nelson Mandela against Aparteid. He served as an advisor to former President Carter at Camp David, and in 1994 he was the guest of former president Clinton at the Peace Treaty signing between Israel and Jordan; he served on President Obama’s White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnership Council; and board member and trustee of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. 

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Dr. Moss is the recipient of numerous awards, including:  Role Model of the Year Award from the National Institute for Responsible Fatherhood and Family Development (1992); Leadership Award from the Cleveland chapter of the American Jewish Committee (1996); Dr. Moss was bestowed the unique honor of the Lyman Beecher Lectureship on Preaching from Yale University (2004); and he was inducted into the 2007 Class of the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame. He holds six honorary degrees from colleges and universities in Ohio, Georgia, and Arkansas; Morehouse College named a set of dormitory suites in his honor where he was also president of the Morehouse College Board of Directors for nearly a dozen years.

If his name sounds familiar, Otis Moss, Jr. is also “Pops”— dad to The FOUR’s Otis Moss III, as well as Kevin Moss and Daphne Moss (deceased). Married to Mrs. Edwina Hudson Moss, they are the proud grandparents of five grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. 

Because family history is legacy, we have a few books to share:  

Fortune: How Race Broke My Family and the World and How to Repair It All: Lisa Sharon Harper’s odyssey to document 10 generations of her family — Black, white and Native American — in her newest book.

Fierce Love: A Bold Path to Ferocious Courage and Rule-Breaking Kindness That Can Heal the World: Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis’ stories from her own life and those of her mentors and inspirations, are accompanied by nine daily practices for transforming ourselves, our communities, and our world at large.