When Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III hosts acclaimed writer Kevin Powell at Trinity United Church of Christ this Friday evening (March 31), it will be to address the soul of a nation and the plight of Black people – through sermon and verse.
“We’re very excited to have Kevin Powell with us,” said Pastor Moss. “I think anyone, especially a young brother, will be blessed and motivated by the work that Kevin is doing. “In the words of Ishmael Reed, he is “writin’ and fightin’,” Moss said.
Both men spoke to the Defender in an Instagram Live chat about incorporating love in the fight against racism and injustice while illuminating the resilience and spirituality of Black people.
Moss and the Need to Dance in the Darkness
For years, Moss has done his “fighting” from the pulpit and, most recently, through his critically-acclaimed book of essays, “Dancing in the Darkness: Spiritual Lessons for Thriving in Turbulent Times.”
The title comes from a lesson Moss learned from his daughter, whom he found dancing in her bedroom in the darkness.
“The darkness is not in her but around her,” he shared at another Book Notes event.
That lesson? Black people have to learn to dance in the darkness and reclaim that dance, whether it’s a dance of love, compassion or justice, as said at that same event.
Powell and the Power of the Word
When Powell visits Trinity, he will share from his poetry collection “Grocery Shopping with My Mother” and his soon-to-be-released “The Kevin Powell Reader: Essential Writings and Conversations.”
The former is an autobiographical poetry collection that started as a series of social media posts about Powell actually going grocery shopping with his mother amid the pandemic. The poetry collection grapples with love, yearning, forgiveness, and healing, among other themes. The latter volume is a collection of his writings over the course of his career.
For Powell, the subjects of transformation, resiliency and healing are political and personal.
“I spent my entire journey as a writer trying to make sense of what happened to my family, like what did racism do to my family. What did the migration do to my family. What did the economic injustice do to my family,” Powell said.
“For a lot of us, there was no therapy. There was no counseling sessions. What we had was the word. What we had was our relationship with God. What we had was our faith,” Powell said.
Click here to watch the Instagram Live chat with Pastor Moss and Kevin Powell.
How to Watch the Event
Event: Pastor Moss hosts Kevin Powell for Book Notes, A Virtual and In-Person Book Discussion Series.
Date and Time: Friday, March 31 at 7 p.m. (CST)
Location: The In-Person event occurs at Trinity United Church of Christ, 400 West 95th Street, Chicago, Illinois. The virtual event will be streamed at Trinity United Church of Christ’s Facebook, YouTube and Instagram pages.
Cost: This event is free and open to the public.
For more information, visit Trinity United Church of Christ’s website.
