Bishop T.D. Jakes to Receive the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award from the Congress of Racial Equality

NEW YORK, Jan. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In commemoration of this year's King Holiday, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) is paying tribute to Bishop T.D. Jakes, presenting him with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award during its 24th annual Ambassadorial Reception and Awards Dinner in New York City. The black-tie event will be held Monday, January 21, at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers.

"I am deeply honored to receive this award," said Bishop Jakes. "Dr. King fought for freedom and justice in an effort to create harmony among all people and I am deeply humbled that the Congress of Racial Equality is bestowing me with this prestigious honor."

Noted for his humanitarian endeavors in the United States and overseas, Bishop Jakes has long been committed to bettering the lives of people around the world. His work ranges from building water wells in Africa to providing relief to tsunami and Hurricane Katrina victims, as well as offering programs to help individuals improve their socioeconomic status.

"The Martin Luther King award is for individuals who through their words and actions have served to continue to promote and put forth the work of Dr. King to achieve brotherhood, peace, equality, and justice for all," said CORE Executive Director George Holmes. "Bishop Jakes is certainly an individual who has done that."

Past recipients of the award include: actor James Earl Jones, boxing legend Muhammad Ali, astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Elie Weisel.

About Bishop T.D. Jakes

Bishop Thomas Dexter (T.D.) Jakes heads the globally recognized multicultural, nondenominational church The Potter's House of Dallas, which has more than 30,000 members and more than 50 outreach ministries. Twice featured on the cover of Time magazine as "America's Best Preacher" and one of the nation's "25 most influential evangelicals," Jakes is a ministerial trailblazer. In addition to his spiritual work, Jakes is a successful entrepreneur with more than a half-dozen diverse businesses.