Wright was the youngest of four children, and had two older twin sisters and a brother who died at a young age.

[3] Wright made the decision to leave her children with her husband in order to continue to pursue her high school degree.

A few years later, Wright divorced from her husband, leaving her children with her mother while continuing to pursue her education.

[3] After graduating from high school, Wright attended Howard University, where she received her bachelor's degree in 1927, before earning her master's in History and Education.

[3] Each year, Rutgers University–Newark hosts an annual Marion Thompson Wright Lecture Series.