By By Rosetta M. Perry and Wanda M. Benson
Nashville, Tenn. — May 17, 2025, the Nashville Chapter Les Gemmes Incorporated will hold its 18th Annual Literary Luncheon. The guest speaker will be Dr. Marcia Dyson, one of the nation’s foremost scholars, activists, and civil rights leaders. Dr. Dyson is one half of arguably America’s most important political and academic couples, as she’s the wife of Dr. Michael Dyson, Distinguished University Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies, College of Arts & Science, and Distinguished University Professor of Ethics and Society, The Divinity School, and NEH Centennial Professor at Vanderbilt University. Rev. Dr. Dyson is the founder of Women’s Global Initiative (WGI), a for-profit entity to enhance the lives of women via “profitable and purposeful social engagement.” WGI services include exclusive event planning, building strategic partnerships, and a speaker’s bureau.
Her distinguished resume is full of honors and firsts. She was the first chief of staff for Rev. Jesse Jackson, Jr.’s Operation Push International Trade Bureau in 1980. She served as the Public Information Officer (POI) for the Mayor’s Office of Special Events for the City of Chicago, where she built bridges across the diverse 87 ethnic communities through cultural diplomacy and world-class events. Rev. Dr. Dyson is a member of many women’s organizations who are advocates for gender equality, social justice, and political reform.
She created a global campaign for Uber which would benefit over one million women and was presented during the UN Women’s CSW59/Beijing+ 20 platform. She is a board member of the Richard Wright Public Charter High School for Journalism and Performing Arts. She is also the executive director of R.O.S.E. organization, a non-profit that Rescues, helps victims to Overcome, Sexual Exploitation (i.e., human trafficking).
Rev. Dr. Dyson became an ordained minister in 1999. Dyson served as a presidential scholar at Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina; was a social justice think tank executive board member for Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas; and served as an advisor to Howard University’s international programs. She has also contributed to Essence magazine, New Deal 2.0, The Grio, The Root, and Huffington Post online media, and has been a recurring political strategist on MSNBC’s Martin Bashir Show.
Dyson was selected to serve on the Women’s Global Summit Leadership board and co-hosted the Africa’s First Ladies Summit in the Washington, D.C. area. She also helped create a Modern Narrative for Muslim Women. Dyson was named the first Chaplain for the Coalition of Hope and has been an executive advisor and consultant to the Conference of Black Mayors. She was also a consultant to the Clinton Foundation on behalf of the Interim Haiti Reconstruction Commission (IHRC). Dyson served as a board member of Nap Advanse (We Advance) and has also been a member of many women’s organizations, including the Black Women’s Round Table, Face to Face, and the Middle East Peace Civic Forum.
She has received numerous awards, including a Unita Award from the National Conference of Black Mayors; the U.S. Coast Guard’s Citizens Award; an Appreciation Award from the Institute for Diversity-Health; and a Humanitarian Award from the Global Institute.
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