Margena A. Christian, Ed.D.

Writer, Editor, and Teacher in Chicago, Illinois

Margena A. Christian, Ed.D.

Writer, Editor, and Teacher in Chicago, Illinois

Visit my website

Dr. Christian is a Senior Lecturer in English and Professional Writing at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and served as Assistant Director of the First-Year Writing Program. She was awarded the 2017 Lecturers' Distinguished Teaching Award for English Studies at UIC. Dr. Christian is also the founder of DocM.A.C. Write Consulting and Publishing.

The St. Louis native completed a doctorate at National Louis University (NLU). A 2010 Distinguished Alumni of NLU, she formerly taught undergraduate and graduate classes there. Her dissertation is titled, John H. Johnson: A Historical Study on the Re-Education of African Americans in Adult Education Through the Selfethnic Liberatory Nature of Magazines.

Additionally, she is a former Senior Editor for EBONY, the pioneering African-American magazine founded in 1945 by publishing magnate John H. Johnson, founder of Chicago's Johnson Publishing Company (JPC). Prior to joining the magazine in 2009 as Senior Writer, Dr. Christian was Features Editor at EBONY's sister publication, Jet. She was hired by Mr. Johnson in 1995 to be an Assistant Editor and worked closely under his guidance until his death in 2005.

She is the only editor in JPC's history to have written for EBONY, JET, EBONY Man, EBONY South Africa, EBONY Fashion Fair and EBONY.com

Her first book is Empire: The House That John H. Johnson Built. She is currently writing an authorized biography, It's No Wonder: The Life and Music of Motown's Sylvia Moy (Hachette 2025).

  • Work
    • Univ. of Illinois at Chicago