Jessie Redmon Fauset (April 27, 1882 – April 30, 1961) was an influential editor, poet, essayist, novelist, and educator. Her literary work helped sculpt African-American literature in the 1920s as she focused on portraying a true image of African-American life and history.

Her black fictional characters were working professionals, a concept inconceivable to American society during this time. Her storylines addressed themes of racial discrimination, "passing", and feminism.

From 1919 to 1926, Fauset's role as literary editor of The Crisis, an NAACP magazine, allowed her to contribute significantly to the Harlem Renaissance by promoting literary works that related to the social movements of this era. Through her work as a literary editor and reviewer, she encouraged black writers to represent the African-American community realistically and positively.

Before and after her editorial work at The Crisis, she spent decades teaching French in public schools in Washington, DC, and New York City. During the 1920s and 1930s, she published four novels exploring the lives of the black middle class. She also edited and co-authored the African-American children's magazine The Brownies' Book.

Fauset is recognized for discovering and mentoring other African-American writers, including Langston Hughes, Jean Toomer, Countee Cullen, and Claude McKay.