The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) Impact Now: Hamptons Summer Brunch brought more than 100 attendees together to learn more about the non-profit organization and resulted in a generous $200,000 pledge from Dr. Mark Frohman. Frohman has collaborated with TMCF on projects in the past, including forging a partnership between the organization, the University of Rochester (his alma mater), and TMCF member-schools Southern University and A&M College, North Carolina A&T University, and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
The cultivation event, co-hosted by TMCF board chair Racquel Oden and board director Sandra Hurse, was held in celebration of the organization’s more than 37 years of representing students at public historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), historically Black community colleges (HBCCs) and predominantly Black institutions (PBIs). It is the second event of TMCF’s IMPACT NOW campaign, which includes regional events designed to foster brand awareness and funding that directly contributes to the educational advancement of deserving students.
It was an honor to host this event, and we are truly grateful to Mark for his generous gift, which will profoundly impact students attending our nation’s public HBCUs,” Oden said. “We are thrilled to have raised more than $240,000 at this cultivation and brand-raising IMPACT NOW event.”
Attendees heard testimony from McKinley Lowery III, a TMCF scholar with a bachelor’s degree in business from Norfolk State University and a master’s in human capital management from Columbia. Guests also met other TMCF scholars, including Bryana Pittman, a student at Florida A&M University, and Marcellus Northington, a North Carolina A&T State University student. The students shared their stories about the impact TMCF has had on them by providing access to college, development conferences that inspired personal growth and how their experience helped prepare them for careers after graduation. Northington also produced a painting for the occasion that, in his words, illustrates a narrative of hope and advancement for African Americans in the United States and features Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall as the central figure in the piece.
“It’s so compelling to hear from our TMCF scholars about their academic and professional journeys,” Hurse said. “They are the reason Thurgood Marshall College Fund exists and it’s a great reminder of the impact it provides.”
Notable guests included TMCF founder Dr. N. Joyce Payne, The View co-host Sunny Hostin, philanthropists Karen and Charles Phillips and NBA executive and TMCF board member Tatia L. Williams.
“We had a wonderful experience at the Hamptons and I’m thankful for the board leadership shown by Racquel and Sandra,” Dr. Harry L. Williams, TMCF president & CEO, said. “I’m also grateful to Dr. Frohman, who set the tone of the event with his generous pledge.”
