Message from the President & CEO
Dwayne Ashley

Thurgood Marshall, Sr. is often best remembered for being the first African-American appointed to serve as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court. However, Justice Marshall was a true trail blazer, a leading architect of the civil rights revolution and of social change, and one of the most prolific figures in history long before he was appointed to the High Court in 1967. As we celebrate his 100th Birthday, we recognized the impact he has had on paving the way for the new generation of leaders today. Because of his selfless contributions, African American, Hispanics and women are breaking barriers to access more than ever today.

His achievement in dismantling the legal structure that sustained racial segregation served to distinguish him as one of the most brilliant legal strategists and dedicated civil rights leaders of all time. Because of commitment to equality for all Americans, Oprah Winfrey, Kenneth Chennault, Dick Parsons, John Thompson and Barrack Obama have been able break barriers once denied to African-Americans.

By gifting rights to his name, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund was established in 1987 as the only organization to which Thurgood Marshall personally granted permission to bear his name.
TMCF has developed this special Web site to commemorate his extraordinary contributions and to serve as the premier location of biographical information on the life and legacy of Justice Thurgood Marshall, one of America’s most prolific figures.

A graduate of Lincoln University (1930) and Howard University Law School (1934), both of which are TMCF member universities today, Justice Marshall dedicated nearly 60 years of his life to changing the landscape of America regarding equality and equal educational opportunity. His greatest achievement was expanding rights for all Americans.

He did so by winning a record 29 of 32 cases that he argued before the Supreme Court, thereby leading the end to legal segregation in the United States. Most notably, his victory in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case resulted in the 1954 U. S. Supreme Court ruling overturning the Constitution’s “separate but equal” law broke the color line in public schools, housing, transportation, and voting.

Justice Marshall’s historic appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Lyndon B. Johnson was the culmination of an outstanding 34-year law career. While serving as an associate justice from 1967 to 1991, he continued his dedication to civil rights for all by promoting race-conscious policies, advancing educational opportunity and addressing other critical disparities between blacks and whites, thus serving to define the race relations movement.
Justice Marshall’s success helped to increase the number of black high school and college graduates, thereby fueling the growth African American economic success.
As we celebrate Justice Marshall’s contributions today, we do so in the spirit of inviting Generation X, Millenials, and the Hip Hop Generation to join the Baby Boomers and others in paying tribute to a Great American and Statesman who dedicated his life ensuring that we would be able to see America through the lens of today.

We thank the Marshall family and the legal community for their unwavering commitment to upholding his great legacy.