I think people instinctively know that their job is to give service and that they are part of a community. It had a great impact on me when my father walked the picket lines and I walked with him during the civil rights movement.

In May 2009 Simmons was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Slavery Memorial at the United Nations to honor the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Their divorce finalized in January 2009. Officiating was Russell's brother the Reverend Run now an ordained minister.

Russell Simmons is the third richest figure in hip hop having a net-worth estimate of $340 million as of April 2011. Russell Wendell Simmons (born October 4 1957) is an American business magnate.