Community Renewal Society responds to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s call to put our faith in action by hosting an annual assembly on the holiday commemorating his life and work. Hear about the history of and need for reparations, and commit to supporting CRS' work in 2022. This year’s assembly was held virtually and streamed live on Facebook and YouTube at 10 am and 7 pm central standard time.
This year's assembly featured: Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III, Trinity United Church of Christ Senior Pastor; Spoken Word by Kwyn Townsend Riley; Marvin Slaughter, Interim Director of the African American Leadership Policy Institute and musical selections from the Selah St. Sabina Youth Choir!
Watch the event and read more about our featured guests below.
KEYNOTE
The Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, III is senior pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. He is a preacher, poet, activist, author and filmmaker with an eye toward justice and equality, as evidenced through the gospel of Jesus Christ. He founded The Unashamed Media Group, a justice centered, faith-based agency committed to producing and curating stories to inspire the heart and challenge the mind. His most recent book is Blue Note Preaching in a Post-Soul World: Finding Hope in an Age of Despair (2015). In October 2020, Dr. Moss created Otis’ Dream, a short film about his grandfather's unsuccessful attempt to vote in 1946.
Dr. Moss preaches a theology of liberation rooted in a Black Spirituality of love and justice. His passion for African American culture and history combined with a deep appreciation for jazz and hip hop, have culminated in a unique message of hope and healing through a jazz narrative on American democracy. Most recently his messages have been featured on the Meditative Stories Podcast as well as On Being with Krista Tippett. The COVID 19 pandemic provided a new opportunity to convey scriptural messages through a cinematic and sermonic lens. The Unashamed Media Group has produced 5 short films/sermons using cinematic liturgy in 2020. Dr. Moss is ordained in the Progressive National Baptist Convention and the United Church of Christ. Dr. Moss was identified by the Baylor University George W. Truett Theological Seminary as one of the 12 most effective preachers in the English language in 2018. He is married to Monica Brown Moss and they are the grateful parents of the amazing team of MK and Eli.
SPOKEN WORD ARTIST
Kwyn Townsend Riley “Kwynology” is a poet, speaker, and organizer from the Southside of Chicago. She has been writing for as long as she could remember, first performed on the mic in high school and has been in love ever since. Her writing helps others heal as well as herself. As a black woman, she has experienced many poems to preach on ; racialized violence, womanism, gentrification and womanhood, homophobia and more. She has performed all across the world from Germany to California. As a speaker, she has interviewed for CBS, WBEZ, Windy City Live and the Late Night Tammi Mac Show. As an organizer, she is passionate about justice for all black people, especially black queer and gender non conforming folks. She organizes through a Black Queer Feminist Lens alongside her BYP100 fam.
Kwyn is an author of two books “And She Wrote” and “And She Will” and finished her first album "and She Worthy". Both of her books and her album can be purchased at kwynology.com. Kwyn loves her family, God, Chicago and french fries.
You can find Kwyn on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Marvin Slaughter is a policy practitioner, grassroots advocacy strategist, and a policy researcher in the areas of reparations, higher education, and intergenerational mobility. Marvin graduated from the University of Illinois-Chicago in 2019 with a Bachelors in Political Science and Economics. Marvin graduated from the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy in 2021 with a Master’s of Public Policy. Currently, Marvin is the Interim Director of the African American Leadership and Policy Institute and a Portfolio Manager for the College and Career Success team at the University of Chicago’s Inclusive Economy Lab. Marvin’s focus is the well-being of Black Americans through policy considerations. He currently attends Covenant United Church of Christ in South Holland, Illinois where the Pastor is Rev Patrick L Daymond.
MUSIC
Selah is a dynamic youth gospel choir with members ranging in age from 5- to 18-years-old. The ministry was formed (circa 2002) with the humble number of 6 members, under the vision to establish a choir at St. Sabina, through which youth could share in the rich experience of leading worship and praise.
With the coupling of consistent caring leadership, grounding in the Word of God, and disciplined rehearsals, the group began to grow in number, in vocal strength, and most importantly, spiritually. Selah quickly began to be recognized across the city for their strong vocals, dynamic energetic performances, joyous hearts and sweet spirits. Particularly in this perilous time when so much negative light is cast upon youth, Selah began to be infectious in a great and awesome way!
The Group is now 35-40 members strong and has released their first self-titled CD Project: Sam Williams & Selah St. Sabina Youth Choir of Chicago! The CD can be found on all Digital Music outlets: iTunes, Apple Music, amazon.com, CD Baby, Youtube, Spotify, Pandora, etc.
You can also find them on their social media outlets:
Facebook: Sam Williams & Selah St. Sabina Youth Choir of Chicago
Instagram: Selahyouthchoir