Marcia Ann Gillespie (born 10 July 1944) is an African-American magazine editor, writer, professor, media and management consultant, and racial and gender justice activist.
[2] She co-authored the authorized biography Maya Angelou: A Glorious Celebration, and is currently working on her own memoir titled When Blacks Became Americans.
After being promoted to editor-in-chief a year later, at the age of 26, she started the process of transforming Essence into one of the fastest growing women’s publications in the United States,[2][5] as well as a trusted source of inspiration, information, and affirmation for millions of African-American women readers.
Negotiations of the magazine's transfer to the Feminist Majority Foundation, initiated by Gillespie, began in December 2000 and were officially completed by February 2001.
[7] Gillespie serves as a member of the board of directors of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Global Fund for Women.
[6] She previously served on the board of directors of the Rod Rodgers Dance Company, the Arthur Ashe Institute of Urban Health, the Black & Jewish Women of New York, and the Violence Policy Center in Washington, D.C. She was also appointed to the advisory board of the Aspen Institute, the New Federal Theater in New York City, and the Studio Museum in Harlem.