The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was formed in 1909 by a group of black and white citizens in response to injustices that many Americans confronted solely because of race. Today, the NAACP, the oldest and largest civil rights organization in the world, continues to focus major efforts at increasing voter empowerment, educational excellence and individual responsibility, creating an infrastructure for economic and social development and effective ways to develop young leaders.

ACT-SO Founder Vernon Jarrett (1918-2004)

The Afro-Academics, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics ( ACT-SO ) is a major youth initiative of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Founded in 1978, by the renowned author and journalist, Vernon Jarrett, ACT-SO provides a forum through which African American youth demonstrate academic, artistic, and scientific prowess and expertise, thereby gaining the same recognition often reserved for entertainers and athletes.

ACT-SO " The Olympics of the Mind " is rooted in the firm conviction that African-Americans can succeed and compete at the same or superior levels as their counterparts in classrooms, boardrooms and laboratories across this nation and aboard. The objective of ACT-SO is to prepare, recognize and reward African-American youth who exemplify scholastic and artistic excellence. The ACT-SO goals are:

1. To mobilize the adult community for the promotion of academics and artistic excellence among African American students.
2. To recognize academic achievement among African American students in a manner commensurate with the recognition afforded athletics.
3. To provide and assist African-American students with the necessary skills and tools to establish goals and acquire the confidence and training to make a successful contribution to society.

NAACP Branches and Youth and Colleges units conduct annual competitions for students in grades 9 - 12 in NAACP branches throughout the country. Participating branches hold local competitions in the categories of Entrepreneurship, Science, Humanities, Performing and Visual Arts. The top winners from the local competitions then compete against the winners from other cities at the national ACT-SO finals held during the NAACP's Annual Convention.