The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is hosting its 24th Anniversary Dinner on Monday, October 24, at the Sheraton New York and honoring Russell Simmons, Chairman of Rush Communications with the coveted Breaking Barriers Award. (In case you have been living on another planet, read more on Russell below).
The Gala hosted by Multi-Award Winning Gospel Music Artist, Pastor Shirley Caesar has a roster of honorees and headline celebrity talent including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who will also be honored with the International Humanitarian Award, Blair Underwood, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Tichina Arnold, Mikki Taylor, Rockmond Dunbar, Lamman Rucker, Terrance J, Carl Lewis and Lynn Whitfield.
Continuing its mission in the name of civil rights activist and Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall, TMCF’s annual dinner raised $1.3 million in 2010, and this year, hopes to exceed that number by adding a live stream element to its production (http://www.tmcf-stream.net/).
Forbes Magazine recently named Russell Simmons one of “Hollywood’s Most Influential Celebrities.” USA Today named Russell Simmons one of the “Top 25 Most Influential People of the Past 25 Years,” calling him a “hip-hop pioneer” for his groundbreaking vision that has influenced music, fashion, finance, the jewelry industry, television and film, as well as the face of modern philanthropy. From creating his seminal Def Jam Recordings in 1984, to the 2007 publishing of his New York Times best-seller Do You! 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success, to founding GlobalGrind.com.