Prior to his assassination, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. frequently visited Cleveland. Some of his earliest visits to the city included giving a lecture at Glenville High School, where he discussed the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and supporting the campaign of Cleveland’s first Black mayor, Carl B. Stokes.
Rev. Otis Moss Jr., former senior pastor of Olivet Institutional Baptist Church, and his wife, Edwina Moss, formerly served on the staff of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). They worked with King on numerous projects throughout the 1950s and ‘60s and became family friends. The Moss family sat down with Signal Cleveland to recall some of their fondest memories of the King family.
Good morning. Can you talk about how you first came to meet Dr. King Jr.?
Otis Moss: I met his father first, Dr. King Sr., when I was a freshman at Morehouse. He was a member of the board of trustees at Morehouse, so he would often visit the school. He had a great interest in young people and had a fatherly approach when dealing with them.
I met Dr. King Jr. at the historic Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. He was a young pastor in his mid-20s at the time. My first impressions of him was that he was an outgoing, embracing and well-prepared individual. He had a sense of humor and a clear commitment to justice.
Edwina Moss: I met Dr. King Jr. while I was working at the SCLC as an administrative assistant. He was a very easy person to communicate with. He was a jovial person who really enjoyed being around people. I traveled with him on many occasions. He was just a wonderful and remarkable human being. I still pinch myself that I had an opportunity to spend time with a person of his stature who cared so much about all people. He also had a real fondness for young people.
In our last interview, you shared that Dr. King officiated your wedding. Can you share how that came about?
Edwina: [He] was very much aware that Otis and I were dating, and that we were planning to get married. He would constantly instruct me on how I had to be responsible because Otis was such a fine individual. I would discuss with him any concerns or issues I had, whether it was something with Otis or other things going on in my life at the time. He was very much a big brother to me.
When Otis told me that he wanted to marry me, I shared that information with [King Jr.]. I knew he would be involved with it, as well as his wife, Coretta, who actually planned our wedding reception. We had a very small, intimate wedding on the campus of Morehouse. Dr. Samuel Williams, who was a professor at Morehouse at the time, and Dr. King performed the ceremony. My parents were actually married by the father of Dr. King [Sr.]’s wife, Alberta Williams King.
Can you share a little bit more about the relationship you all had with Coretta?
Edwina: I wish more people knew the kind of person Coretta was. She was a very strong, quiet person. She let you know where she stood, she wasn’t a person to fade in the background. She had no fear. Even when their house was being vandalized and her husband was constantly being threatened with violence, she always made sure to push things forward. I really credit her for a lot of Dr. King’s courage. She was his backbone.
Otis: I would totally agree. She had a great sense of history. From the beginning of the movement, she was sensitive to the fact that there needed to be recordings of what was going on during the Montgomery Bus Boycott and Dr. King’s speeches.
What type of strategy do you think Dr. King would be looking to implement in our current times if he were still alive today?
Edwina: I know for certain that he would stand on the idea of nonviolence. His Christian beliefs and love was at the center of everything that he did.
Otis: I agree. Dr. King was also committed to organization in terms of preparation. He always had a plan. He moved at his own pace, and for some people that wasn’t always fast enough. He developed strategies that were lasting and had redemptive impact.
What were some of the things you all did together in your spare time as friends?
Edwina: The work we were doing at the time was very stressful, so when we had a moment to ourselves, we really did enjoy resting and relaxing. We would go swimming together, which was something that Dr. King loved to do. We would tell stories from our day or sometimes make up stories to entertain each other and to momentarily distract ourselves from daily challenges.
In this moment in our country’s history, any advice for people looking to make change?
Otis: It is important to respond to these brutal acts of injustice. At the same time, it’s important to do long-range planning. One of the things we need to be doing at this very hour are voter information, voter education and voter registration. You don’t wait until two weeks before the election to start talking about turning out the vote. Dr. King was committed to all of that. One of the key facets of SCLC was citizenship education. People were brought in from the whole region and were taken through a whole process of preparation to carry on the movement. Spontaneity is important, but it does not take the place of preparation.
Edwina: I agree. I would add in voter participation as well. Vote, vote, vote!
