[NEohioPAL] Otis Moss, Keynote Speaker--CPL MLK Commemorative Celebration, January 21

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           Cleveland Public Library will present The Reverend Dr. Otis Moss, Jr. as its keynote speaker for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day commemorative celebration.  The FREE and open to the public program will be held Monday, January 21, 1:00 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Branch, 1962 Stokes Boulevard.  The CPL Staff Chorus, led by Director, Andrew Venable, Jr. will perform. The African American Art Show will be on display in the Gallery. A reception will immediately follow the program. The Branch will be open from 12:00 Noon to 4:00 p.m.

            Reared in LaGrange, Georgia, Otis Moss, Jr., the fourth of five siblings, lost his mother, Magnolia Moss, when he was four years old. His father, Otis Moss, Sr., a sharecropper, died when Otis was 16 years old. Dr. Moss states, “My decision to enter the ministry was a gift or calling from God. I was greatly influenced by my hometown church community and spiritual leaders. My mentor was Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, President of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia; he provided encouragement and inspiration. An abiding friendship and association with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. provided great inspiration and an excellent model for leadership.”

            Among his many posts Dr. Moss, Pastor of Cleveland’s Olivet Institutional Baptist Church, served as co-Pastor with Dr. Martin Luther King, Sr. at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia, in 1971. His illustrious career also includes: Chairman of Board of Trustees, Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia, Adjunct Faculty, United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio, Pastor, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Lockland (Cincinnati), Ohio, Pastor, Providence Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia, Pastor, Old Mt. Olive Baptist Church, LaGrange, Georgia.

            Dr. Moss, a prolific writer and frequent speaker, received his D.D. (Doctor of Divinity degree) at LaGrange College, LaGrange, Georgia. His numerous honors range from being a consultant to President Jimmy Carter at Camp David, to being honored by the Trumpet Awards “International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.” For more information, call (216) 623-2869.