Who is Marianne Deborah Williamson? Flash Uganda Media looks at her biography, age, husband, family, achievements, net worth, house and relationship with Samuel “Sam” Williamson and Sophie Ann Kaplan, Peter Williamson, and the early life and education of bestselling author, political activist and US presidential candidate.
Marianne Williamson also known as Marianne Deborah Williamson is an American author, spiritualist, humanitarian and democratic political activist.
She was the spiritual leader for Church of Today, a Unity Church in Warren, Michigan till 2003 when she resigned.
Marianne Williamson is the author of several self-help books, including A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles.
In 2006, Marianne was designated one of the top 50 most influential baby boomers.
Early Life and Education
Marianne Williamson was born on July 8, 1952, in Houston, Texas, United States of America.
She is the youngest of three children born to World War II veteran and immigration lawyer Samuel “Sam” Williamson and Sophie Ann Kaplan, a homemaker and community worker.
Peter Williamson, Marianne Williamson’s older brother, followed in his father’s footsteps and became an immigration attorney.
Her late sister, Elizabeth also called Jane was a teacher.
Her father and mother’s grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Russia. After spotting “Alan Williamson Ltd” on a train, her grandfather changed his surname from Vishnevetsky to Williamson.
Marianne Williamson grew up in an upper-middle-class Jewish family that practised Conservative Judaism. Her family was a member of Congregation Beth Yeshurun.
At home, she studied world faiths and social justice, and she grew engaged in public campaigning after hearing her rabbi speak out against the Vietnam War.
Marianne attended a Jewish day school, Bellaire High School in the Houston Independent School District.
She went on to study theatre and philosophy at Pomona College in Claremont, California, where she shared a room with future film producer Lynda Obst but she did not graduate.
Marianne dropped out of college in 1973 and lived “a nomadic existence” during what she refers to as “her wasted decade.”
She relocated to New Mexico, where she studied at the University of New Mexico and shared a geodesic dome with her lover. A year later, the couple divorced.
Marianne then relocated to Austin, Texas, to attend classes at the University of Texas.
She moved to New York City after leaving Texas, intending to pursue a career as a cabaret singer and a nightclub performer, however, she has indicated that she was distracted by “bad boys and good dope.”
In 1979, Marianne married a Houston businessman for a very brief period. She described her marriage as lasting “a minute and a half.”
India Emmaline, her only daughter, was born in 1990. She earned a doctorate in history from Goldsmiths College in London.
Emmaline got married to Charles in November 2021 giving Marianne a grandson.
Career and Professional Work Experience
Spirituality Teaching Career
Williamson became interested in Helen Schulman’s book A Course in Miracles in 1976, despite being originally hesitant owing to her Jewish beliefs. As she began “passionately” reading the Course, she investigated spirituality, metaphysics, and meditation.
Williamson moved back to Houston in 1979, where she opened a metaphysical bookstore coffee shop. She had a “flash” decision to close the coffee shop and relocate to Los Angeles in 1983.
She then moved to Hollywood and shared an apartment with 17-year-old Laura Dern. According to Dern, Marianne held prayer groups in their living room.
As word circulated about “the young woman who spoke of a God who loves you regardless,” she was forced to rent church space to meet the demand.
Four years later, she began giving monthly lectures in New York. She was eventually invited to speak all throughout the United States and Europe.
Williamson did not charge for her talks, although she did have a “suggested donation” of $7 and a policy of not turning anyone away due to financial constraints.
Williamson’s style has been called a “trendy mash-up of Christianity, Buddhism, pop psychology, and 12-step recovery wisdom.”
Marianne Williamson was the spiritual head of the Church of Today, a Unity Church in Warren, Michigan, with 2,300 members and 50,000 television viewers.
Her role also involved administrative leadership; as such, she booked Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, expanded the bookstore, and increased the congregation’s ethnic and sexual orientation diversity.
In 2003, Williamson left the Church Renaissance Unity Interfaith Spiritual Fellowship.
She then lectured at Methodist, Episcopal, and Unitarian churches for a while.
Writing Career
As of 2019, Marianne Williamson had written 14 books.
Seven of them have made the New York Times bestseller list, with four of them reaching number one. She’s sold over three million books.
A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles (1992) is Marianne’s most well-known work.
The book spent 39 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list in the “Advice, How To, and Miscellaneous” category.
Its main focus is teaching that practising love every day will bring more serenity and fulfilment into one’s life.
Oprah Winfrey stated, “I have never been more moved by a book than I am by this one.” She purchased 1,000 of them and encouraged her viewers to do the same, informing them that she witnessed 157 miracles after reading it.
Marianne Williamson appeared frequently on The Oprah Winfrey Show and eventually became Oprah’s spiritual advisor.
Williamson went on to write a number of other publications, including “The Healing of America,” “The Age of Miracles,” “Everyday Grace,” “Enchanted Love” “A Woman’s worth” and “A Course in Weight Loss.”
Some of her other works include;
Imagine What America Could Be in the 21st Century: Visions of a Better Future from Leading American, Thinkers
Emma & Mommy Talk to God
Illuminata: A Return to Prayer
The Gift of Change
Political Campaigns
United States House of Representatives (2014)
Marianne Williamson ran as an Independent for California’s 33rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives in 2014.
Ben Cohen, former governors Jennifer Granholm and Jesse Ventura, former congressman Dennis Kucinich and Alan Grayson, and Van Jones all endorsed her campaign. Alanis Morissette penned and performed the campaign song “Today” for Williamson.
Williamson campaigned on progressive topics like campaign finance reform, reproductive rights for women, and LGBTQ equality.
She however came in fourth place out of 18 candidates, receiving 14,335 votes or 13.2 percent of the votes.
Presidential campaign
Marianne Williamson announced the formation of a presidential exploratory committee on November 15, 2018.
She officially began her presidential candidacy in front of 2,000 people in Los Angeles on January 28, 2019.
She named Maurice Daniel, who worked alongside Donna Brazile on Dick Gephardt’s Democratic nomination campaign in 1988, as her national campaign manager.
The “Marianne Williamson for President” campaign committee formally filed on February 4.
Her campaign raised $1.5 million in the first quarter of 2019, with contributions from 46,663 different people.
On May 23, Williamson met the polling criteria by receiving three distinct polls at one percent from qualifying pollsters.
She took part in the first primary debate later that month and in the second primary debate on July 30.
She was the most Googled candidate in 49 of the 50 states and the fourth most followed on Twitter.
The increase in searches was caused by her mention of the Flint water crisis and her claim that President Trump was harnessing a “dark psychic force of collectivized hatred,” which she later defined as racism, bigotry, antisemitism, homophobia, Islamophobia, and xenophobia propelled by social media.
Williamson gave an interview with Eric Bolling on the day of the third DNC debate, for which she did not qualify, and showed greater displeasure with the media when she assumed she was not being filmed.
She announced the termination of her campaign on January 10, 2020, and committed to support the Democratic nominee.
Humanitarian Works
Marianne Williamson has been involved in a number of humanitarian and social justice initiatives in addition to her writing and political activity.
She established Project Angel Food, a non-profit organisation that distributes free meals to persons suffering from HIV/AIDS and other critical illnesses.
She has also been a prominent supporter of women’s rights and LGBTQ+ rights, as well as working on poverty, homelessness, and addiction concerns.
After receiving a $50,000 contribution from David Geffen, Williamson founded the Center for Living in 1987, motivated by a friend’s battle with breast cancer.
Williamson and Conversations with God author Neale Donald Walsch co-founded the non-profit Global Renaissance Alliance (GSA) in 1998. The organization created a network of “citizen salons” to pray for national development, peace, and liberal causes.
Marianne Williamson’s Net worth
Marianne Williamson is estimated to have a net worth of $2 million as of October 2019, according to Forbes.
In 2013, she acknowledged having investments anticipated to be worth between $1 million and $5 million (excluding her personal residences)
Williamson has earned money via her speaking engagements, where she discusses her thoughts on spirituality, personal growth, and politics, in addition to her writing.
She charges a fee for speaking engagements, and she has been at events organised by corporations, universities, and spiritual organisations.
Williamson has also been involved in various entrepreneurial projects, including co-founding the Miraval Life in Balance Spa, a high-end spa and wellness centre in Michigan.
She has also developed a line of self-help items, such as books, CDs, and online courses, which has resulted in additional revenue.
Controversies
Marianne Williamson has been a controversial figure throughout her career, attracting criticism for her unique opinions and style.
She announced her intention to run for president in 2024 on February 23, 2023, and launched her campaign on March 4, 2023.
However, Jason Call, Williamson’s 2024 deputy campaign manager, left her team on May 20, 2023, a week after her campaign manager, Peter Daou, indicated identical intentions.
The two presented very different reasons for their acts than the campaign did.
Earlier in 2023, a dozen former Williamson 2020 campaign staffers, who requested anonymity owing to non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), described working for her as “toxic,” “traumatic,” and “terrifying.”
Williamson has been accused of hurling phones and swearing at employees till they burst into tears.
According to one report, her rage over logistics in South Carolina drove her to repeatedly strike a car, requiring medical attention for a swollen hand.
Williamson however rejected the phone-throwing claim, admitting to the automobile incident and attributing it to having room for personal development.
Politico reported in July 2023 that Williamson had donated $220,000 to her own campaign and that the campaign’s most recent financial filing revealed $270,000 in overdue bills.
Williamson received criticism in September for tweeting that Hurricane Dorian could be avoided by employing “the power of mind.”
She later removed the tweet and replaced it with a prayer for the “people of the Bahamas, Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.”
