OUR STORY - OUR VICTORIES


Jobs / Turnaround Thursday. $1.3 million for the Turnaround Thursday movement in Anne Arundel County to provide job training and services for unemployed residents returning from incarceration....more HERE
EDUCATION
Safe Schools. ACT successfully pushed the school board to speed up its lead testing in drinking water in Anne Arundel schools. A disproportionate number of schools with significant African American populations had faucets with dangerous lead levels, and ACT made sure those schools were tested and remediated first.
Equity in Schools with Allies. During the pandemic, ACT protected funding to create new school bus routes for low-income and Black students. Next, ACT ensured that every student, instead of every family, in Anne Arundel Public Schools received a laptop for online learning. This action led ACT to secure internet access for all.
Internet Accessibility. Support from key politicians to work with ACT and invite stakeholders from all socioeconomic and racial backgrounds to be a part of contract negotiations in December 2021 to determine which cable and internet providers can provide service in Anne Arundel County.
FEED ANNE ARUNDEL
Feed Anne Arundel. Feed Anne Arundel was formed in partnership with ACT and local restaurants. In the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we mobilized to support workers vulnerable to losing their livelihoods, stabilize small businesses at the core of our economy, and feed our community. We ensured 75 restaurants could pay their workers and delivered over 200,000 meals to families in Anne Arundel County.
During the Pandemic ACT's organizing led to:
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$1.5M+ in donations and grants
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150,000+ nutritious and delicious meals, prepared to feed the hungry
during the pandemic
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75 restaurants/small businesses remain open, citing Feed Anne Arundel as
the reason 1,500 restaurant workers retaining their jobs
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Affordable Housing. As a result of ACT’s organizing with community partners Anne Arundel County passed Fair Housing legislation. This is a crucial step to prevent discrimination in housing against renters using public assistance vouchers. ACT also supported residents of Woodside Gardens, a publicly subsidized housing complex in Annapolis,
to organize and seek accountability from their landlords for unhealthy and unsafe living conditions. As a result, the owners committed $1M for renovations and repairs.
GUN VIOLENCE REDUCTION/PREVENTION
Do Not Stand Idly By. Secured involvement of the County Executive, the Mayor of Annapolis and their respective police chiefs, leading to investment in new national Gun Safety Consortium for gun safety technology to address issues of illegal guns, gun violence and suicide.
Election Accountability Actions. Over 170 ACT members turned out for an accountability session with candidates for County Executive and County Council. The candidates heard our stories and committed to working with us to grow our jobs movement for returning citizens, Turnaround Thursday. In partnership with our sister organizations, AIM in Montgomery County and PATH in Howard County we held actions with the statewide candidates for Governor, Attorney General, and Comptroller. Over 1,000 members attended the hybrid actions which created deep conversation and commitments to work with us on our priorities for the environment, early childhood learning, affordable housing, and the wealth gap.
