Baltimore County NAACP raises money to send students to national ACT-SO competition 

By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com

The Baltimore County NAACP is raising money to send local high school students to the NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) during the civil rights organization’s national convention in July.

A yearlong youth enrichment program, ACT-SO promotes academic and artistic excellence by connecting students with mentors and giving them opportunities to showcase their work across 33 categories in the performing arts, humanities, visual arts, business, culinary arts and STEM. Through the program, students first compete on a local level before advancing to the national competition for a chance to win medals, scholarships and other prizes at the NAACP’s annual convention, which will be held in Chicago this year.

For Marietta English, ACT-SO chair for the Baltimore County NAACP, the contest is a chance for young people to foster community and self-confidence. 

“These children get to see students like themselves, who are equally as talented as they are. They get to network. They get to make friends that they will probably have for a lifetime,” said English. “The networking, the friend-making and the experience outside of Baltimore is so valuable that it’s worth every dime that we can raise and every penny that we spend on these boys and girls.” 

English said the Baltimore County NAACP is looking to raise roughly $30,000 to send local ACT-SO winners and student ambassadors to the national competition. The local branch is selling Krispy Kreme doughnuts and collecting donations on its website to cover students’ travel and hotel expenses.

Given the negative perceptions often associated with Baltimore youth, English said the students who participate in ACT-SO demonstrate what’s possible when young people’s interest and talents are nurtured. 

“I think people need to understand that the face of our youth needs to be these children who are doing great things and not the few who are not doing good things,” said English. 

She said former participants have gone on to pursue a range of pathways, including film-making, commercial production and public service careers with the state’s attorney’s and mayor’s office. 

One participant, Couryn Branch, competed in ACT-SO while attending George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology. During her sophomore year, she took home a gold medal in the playwriting category. Her submission, titled “Victim V. United States,” depicted an interrogation after a sexual assault—highlighting the dismissive, victim-blaming rhetoric long entrenched in the criminal justice system. 

“Winning a gold medal was not only a great accomplishment, but it felt like a sign that I was in alignment. As a budding writer, I had no idea what medium fit me best or what subject matter was right for me to cover, but winning a gold medal showed me that I was doing something right,” said Branch. “I saw that my lived experience and love for communication could be utilized to touch people and make change.” 

Now a rising sophomore at Hampton University, Branch is studying criminal justice with the intention of becoming an intellectual property attorney one day. She remains in touch with friends and mentors she met during ACT-SO. 

Branch described the experience as “life-changing” and encouraged community members to support the next generation of ACT-SO students. 

“Not only is it fun to compete, but it is an opportunity of a lifetime,” said Branch. “Students will be able to practice public speaking, networking, advocacy and connection all in one trip. It only takes one trip to teach them skills that could take years otherwise.”

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