Celebrities Celebrate Young Black Scholars At The Thurgood Marshall Awards Dinner

"Last year I came here with a suit and a dream. Now I have five suits, and I'm fulfilling my dream."

The young man's voice boomed over thousands of students, donors and celebrities who gathered in the Sheraton Hotel in New York City Monday night for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund's 24th anniversary awards dinner.

The evening featured several characters who probably never expected to share a stage, like U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and Russell Simmons, the founder of the hip-hop label Def Jam.

The fund is named for the first black Supreme Court Justice ("Mr. Civil Rights"), and in the service of his legacy, the organization provides scholarships and other support to talented black students attending historically black public colleges and universities. So far, the fund has given out over $100 million to support students and their college programs.