Thurgood Marshall Celebration to kick off Sunday at the Baltimore Museum of Art

BALTIMORE -- Sunday, July 2, marks Justice Thurgood Marshall's 115th birthday, and a commemorative celebration is kicking off at 1:00 p.m. at the Baltimore Museum of Art. 

Related: Remembering the legacy of Baltimore native Thurgood Marshall ahead of July celebration

WJZ is the proud media sponsor of the event, and will be streaming performances live from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.  

In addition to a celebration of the finalists of the first-ever Justice Thurgood Marshall Art Competition, attendees will hear from impactful members of the community who will make appearances - helping celebrate Marshall's legacy.

Here's an inside look at the event participants who will join us in celebrating Thurgood Marshall's legacy. 

Rev. Dr. Alvin C. Hathaway, Sr.  

The Rev. Dr. Alvin C. Hathaway, Sr., distinguished for his fourth-longest tenure as the 10th Pastor of Union Baptist Church, is also renowned for his numerous accolades and initiatives. Notably, he was inducted into the Morehouse College of Preachers in 2012, met with Pope Francis in 2015, and was part of the Baltimore Sunpapers' Business and Civic Hall of Fame 2021 Class. Further recognition came from The Daily Record in 2021 as an Influential Marylander and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., awarding him the 2022 Civic Engagement Award.  

Apart from being the CEO of Union Baptist Church – School, Inc., and Beloved Community Services Corporation, Hathaway played a pioneering role in creating the African Ancestry Neuroscience Research Initiative and founded Act Now Baltimore, a faith-based community action network.  

Jami Floyd

Jami Floyd is a renowned civil rights journalist, podcaster, legal analyst, and author with a distinguished career spanning network, cable, local television, broadcast radio, and digital media. 

Her expertise lies in the intersection of race, law, and communications, earning her both national and international recognition. Among her extensive portfolio of interviews, her encounters with Myrlie Evers-Williams, widow of the civil rights leader Medgar Evers, hold the greatest significance for her.  

Sherrilyn Ifill

Sherrilyn Ifill, esteemed for her transformative leadership, served as the seventh President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) from 2013 to 2022, becoming the second woman to hold this position. She now serves as the President and Director-Counsel Emeritus.

Starting her career as a Fellow at the American Civil Liberties Union, she joined the LDF as an Assistant Counsel in 1988, litigating voting rights cases for five years. In 1993, Ifill joined the faculty at the University of Maryland School of Law, where she taught civil procedure and constitutional law for two decades and pioneered a series of law clinics.  

Her 2007 book, "On the Courthouse Lawn: Confronting the Legacy of Lynching in the 21st Century," has been instrumental in promoting conversations about lynching and reconciliation. In 2013, she was invited back to the LDF as its 7th Director-Counsel, where she increased the organization's visibility and impact on crucial civil rights issues  

Ifill's contributions have earned her numerous honorary degrees and recognition, including TIME Magazine's Women of the Year and one of its 100 Most Influential People in 2021, Glamour Magazine's Women of the Year, and the 2021 Spirit of Excellence Award by the American Bar Association. In 2022, she will receive the Brandeis Medal and the American Bar Association's Thurgood Marshall Award.  

She was inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2019, and in 2021, she was appointed to President Biden's Commission on the Supreme Court.   

Mary Miller 

Mary Miller, currently a senior fellow at 21CC, boasts an impressive career in finance and government. She formerly served as the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Under Secretary for Domestic Finance, where she coordinated Treasury's policies in financial institutions, federal debt financing, financial regulation, and capital markets. Prior to this role, she was the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Markets, advising the Secretary on various aspects of domestic finance and managing the public debt.

Before her tenure at the Treasury, Miller dedicated 26 years to T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., where she ascended to the role of the Director of the Fixed Income Division and became a member of the firm's Management Committee.

Miller's academic credentials include a B.A. from Cornell University and an M.C.R.P. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Additionally, she holds the prestigious Chartered Financial Analyst designation. 

Beloved Community Services Corporation

Established in 2008, the Baltimore Community Services Corporation (BCSC) offers resources in youth development, family stabilization, healthcare, and research, positively impacting hundreds of Baltimore families. It also works on the commercial development of historical landmarks. Led by Executive Director Dr. Alvin C. Hathaway, Sr., BCSC's board features leaders from various professional fields.

BCSC provides United Way family stabilization funds, aiding poverty-stricken families with housing, food, healthcare, employment, and education access. Its current initiatives, including Girls Who Code, Green Ambassadors, and the African American Neuroscience Research Initiative, are instrumental in driving social, economic, and health-related advancements in Baltimore. Additionally, BCSC's commercial projects focus on restoring historical sites in Baltimore, housing organizations that contribute to community development.

What to Expect:

The Thurgood Marshall Celebration at the Baltimore Museum of Art will kick off at 1:00 PM. Attendees will be greeted by Asma Naeem, the Director of BMA, followed by a performance from the Singing Sensations. 

Dr. Hathaway will then share his remarks, after an introduction by the Voice of God (VOG). 

WJZ anchor Nicky Zizaza will introduce the contest winners, and later facilitate a Fireside Chat with Jami Floyd and Sherrilyn Ifill. 

The event will also feature an Endowed Speaker Series Overview by Mary Miller, an unveiling of Ernest Shaw's portrait, and a photo op with T. Marshall Jr. and Brother. 

The day will conclude with Dr. Hathaway's Call to Action and a final performance by the Singing Sensations, with Nicky Zizaza closing the program.