The granddaughter of a former slave, she was active in the civil rights movement to desegregate schools and end discrimination, and became the first female president of the Cincinnati NAACP chapter.

[1] Her family, including her parents, her twin sister, Mildred, and two brothers, Harry and Vernon, lived in a home that had been built by her grandfather, a freed slave.

[citation needed] While at the University of Cincinnati, Spencer campaigned for the college prom to be open to all students.

[2][3] Spencer spent her entire life as a community servant and civil rights activist, working especially hard to desegregate public schools.

She became a life member of the NAACP, and served on the Executive Board, as chairman of both the Legal Redress and Education committees.

In 1983, she was the first African American female elected to Cincinnati City Council and served as Vice Mayor and as a member of the Charter Party for one term.

Spencer's career included numerous achievements and many awards and honors for her contributions to human service organizations and civic volunteer work.

"[6] On June 27, 2021 a statue of Spencer was unveiled in the Women's Garden in the southeast corner of Smale Riverfront Park in Cincinnati.

"[8] In 2004 Marian Spencer and her husband Donald Spencer, initiated litigation seeking to restrain Defendants J. Kenneth Blackwell, in his official capacity as the Secretary of State of Ohio, Intervenor Defendant State of Ohio, the Hamilton County Board of Elections and its Chair Timothy Burke and members Michael Barrett, Todd Ward, Daniel Radford and Director John Williams in their official capacities from discriminating against black voters in Hamilton County, Ohio on the basis of race.

The Spencers alleged that the Hamilton County Board of Elections and the Hamilton County Republican Party combined to implement a voter challenge system at the polls on Election Day that discriminated against African American voters.

[9] US District Court Judge Susan J. Dlott, appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1995, ruled against the Republican plan, noting that there is no need to have voter challengers since Ohio already requires the presence of election judges at precincts in order to avoid voter fraud.

Dlott warned in her decision that the Republican plan, if permitted, could cause "chaos, delay, intimidation and pandemonium inside the polls and in the lines outside the door.

"[10] Dlott also said that the law permitting challengers did not sufficiently protect citizens' fundamental right to vote.