Chicago Southside NAACP Host Free Mandela Movie Screening for ACT-SO

Lee Edwards | As of Thursday, December 26, 2013

Starring Idris Elba as Nelson Mandela and Naomie Harris as Winnie Mandela, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is based on the autobiography of the late Nelson Mandela as he fought for the end of apartheid.
Starring Idris Elba as Nelson Mandela and Naomie Harris as Winnie Mandela, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is based on the autobiography of the late Nelson Mandela as he fought for the end of apartheid.

The Chicago Southside chapter of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) presented a screening of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom to raise money for its’ ACT-SO (Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics) program.

“As you know, [Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom] isn’t going to be [released] until Christmas, which is a week away,” said NAACP Chicago Southside Chapter First Vice President Brenda Sheriff. “This was something that was brought to us: ‘would we want to be the only organization in the City of Chicago to have this premiere?’ Although it was a short notice we jumped on it. [It was] strictly the Chicago Southside NAACP, that had it.”

Starring Idris Elba as Nelson Mandela and Naomie Harris as Winnie Mandela, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is based on the autobiography of the late former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela and depicts his fight to end apartheid.

Funds raised during the event will be used towards transportation, lodging, food and incidentals, when the youth who wins Chicago's ACT-SO competition, travel to the NAACP's national convention to compete.

ACT-SO, a major youth initiative of the NAACP, is a national competition for high school aged youth to compete in 26 categories at the state, regional and national level for the opportunity to win scholarships and prizes and provides a forum through which youth of African descent demonstrate academic, artistic and scientific prowess and expertise, thereby garnering the same recognition often only reserved for entertainers and athletes.

Originating from the NAACP's Chicago Southside chapter, the ACT-SO program is in its 35th year.

“[For] students that won gold this year it was a game-changer for them,” said Bryan Hudson, NAACP Chicago Southside Branch ACT-SO Chair. “One of our young men hadn’t even thought about college. After meeting so many like-minded youth that respected him and wish him well in the competition he [now] wants to pursue a degree in higher arts.”

Hudson believes that ACT-SO is desperately needed within the community and that many ACT-SO winners from Chicago had never been on a plane before or even been out of Chicago.

Last year, Chicago had seven ACT-SO gold medalists who traveled to the NAACP national convention in Orlando, FL to compete, including Marelle Dickins.

“That experience changed my life,” Dickins, said a former ACT-SO poetry gold medalist. “I didn’t expect to win and I didn’t expect to go on to nationals. The fact that you see people from all over the World who strive for the things that you want is very fulfilling. ”

Dickins added that she won $2,000 in scholarships and a Samsung Galaxy Notebook tablet. She is currently a student at the University of Illinois – Champaign-Urbana. Dickins won the gold medal for her poem “Poetry I Am”.

ACT-SO competition categories include:

· Biology/Microbiology · Chemistry/Biochemistry · Computer Science · Earth and Space sciences · Engineering · Mathematics · Medicine and Health · Physics · Music composition · Original essay · Playwriting · Poetry · Dance · Dramatics · Music instrumental/Classical · Music instrumental/Contemporary · Music vocal/Classical · Music vocal/Contemporary · Oratory · Architecture · Drawing · Filmmaking · Painting · Photography · Sculpture · Entrepreneurship

For more information about ACT-SO visit http://www.naacpconnect.org/pages/act-so-101.

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