The Roanoke Branch NAACP’s ACT-SO Program is looking for 2021 Olympians and are inviting all interested high school students and parents to attend the 2021 ACT-SO Kick-Off Information meeting at 4:00 pm. Virtually on Zoom, at 4:00 pm. Sunday, Dec. 6.
Kanye West, Spike Lee, Jada Pinkett-Smith, John Singleton, Lauryn Hill, Hill Harper, Mos ‘Def and Roanoke’s very own: Patrick Curtis, Tyler Langhorn, Danae Antoine, London Paige and the first Gold medalist, Uyen Tran, have all been winners in the National ACT-SO Competition.
If they can do it, then we know that other youth in the Roanoke Valley can also! Although, ACT-SO, (Afro –Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics) has been around for 42 years, it is considered by some to be a cultural “best kept secret” and now people are really talking about how great it is. We want Roanoke’s youth to “talk about it” and also “Be about it!”
The Roanoke Branch NAACP is excited about the ACT-SO local competition. Past local winners were: Patrick Curtis won Bronze in Physics; Tyler Langhorn, won Bronze in Oratory and Danae Antoine won Bronze in the Drawing, to name a few. Then in 2019, London Paige won a national Bronze medal in Chemistry/Biochemistry (the only medal won by a Virginia Branch) and in 2020, London returned virtually and won a bronze medal in Biology/Microbiology and first-timer Uyen Tran won a gold medal in Chemistry/Biochemistry. We are winners and we want to keep winning!
Because we know that there are qualify youth, the Roanoke Branch is still looking for those talented high school students who are willing to showcase his or her skills and talents in order to win and have national recognition at the 2021 National ACT-SO competition scheduled for July 2021 in Charlotte, NC.
Please encourage everyone who knows a high school student who excels in the areas of Science (-Sciences, Technology, Engineering, Math), Humanities (Filmmaking, Drama, Poetry, Short Story), Performing Arts (Vocal, Dance, Instrumental, etc.), Visual Arts (Painting, Photography, Sculpture, etc.), Business (Entrepreneurship) and Culinary Arts to ask his/her teachers or principals about ACT-SO. Applications and fact sheets will be available at the local high schools.
The Virtual Kick-Off meeting on Sunday, Dec. 6, will give everyone an opportunity to learn more about ACT-SO and preparations for the local competition which will be held tentatively in April 2021.
To register for this zoom meeting, please go to the Roanoke Branch NAACP face book page or enter this zoom link https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZApdeGtrz8pGNdYAPOY2etA43ANNhPgoGYU
For more information, please contact Gloria Randolph-King, chairperson at 540-793-0811 or Sheila Herron, co-chair, at 540-853-6203. Brenda Hale is the branch president.
