Mark Morrison-Reed

“I was simply a living wonder.” Reflection on my life in Switzerland

The Rev. Dr. Mark Morrison-Reed earned his M.A. from the University of Chicago in 1977 and D.Min from Meadville Lombard Theological School in 1979. He served as minister to congregations in Rochester, New York and Toronto, Canada before becoming an Affiliated Faculty at Meadville Lombard Theological School and Coordinator of its Sankofa Collection.

Morrison-Reed moved to Switzerland with family in1962 when his father spent a sabbatical year at the University of Bern. His family returned to Chicago a year later but he remained until 1965. Revisiting Switzerland in 1971 he stayed, later moving to Austria before returning to Chicago in 1974. In 1987 he spent a sabbatical in Switzerland and in 1988 moved with his wife and co-minister and their two children to Toronto. Since 1993 he has held dual U.S. and Canadian citizenship.

Morrison-Reed is primarily recognized as a historian of the African-American experience within Unitarian Universalism. He has written or edited seven books and three curricula. In 2008 his book In Between: Memoir of an Integration Baby was published. He will be drawing from it in his talk. His latest book, Revisiting the Empowerment Controversy: Black Power and Unitarian Universalism, will be released in June.

His experience in international Unitarian and Universalist affairs is broad. He has spoken to groups in Germany, Switzerland, France, Holland, Hungary, Romania, England and Japan. He has also served as President of the Canadian Unitarian Council and President of the Family Services Association of Metropolitan Toronto.