QAC NAACP honors scholarship winners and lifetime members

Life members, and 2024 scholarship winners Kenyon Smothers and Craig Warren Wright were honored this month at the annual NAACP Branch 7024 Freedom Fund Scholarship Luncheon. Honors students at Queen Anne's and Kent Island High Schools respectively, both graduating seniors actively contribute to the community.

A member of the Future Business Leaders of America and the Distributive Education Class of America, Smothers is QACHS senior class president and served as an intern at the Queen Anne’s County Department of Economic and Tourism Development. He has multiple scholarships including a full-tuition scholarship at Guilford College where he will major in economics. Founded by Quakers, Guilford is one of the few college campuses listed by the U.S. Department of the Interior as a National Historic District and is part of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. Guilford is located in Greensboro, North Carolina.

A participant in the Queen Anne's County Public Schools Superintendent’s Advisory Council and the Kennard African American Cultural Heritage Center’s documentary on local African American heroes, Wright is a member of the KIHS Distributive Education Club of America which prepares emerging leaders for careers in business. He has multiple scholarships including an out-of-state George Mason University scholarship to study Business Marketing. Ranked among the top 10 in research growth among U.S. public universities according to the National Science Foundation, Mason has students from all 50 states and 130 countries. It is located in Fairfax, Virginia.

Professor Dale Glenwood Green was the guest speaker at the luncheon where he spoke about building a life of purpose by valuing history and preserving Black institutions. Amongst his titles, he is the Professor of the Practice for Architecture and Historic Preservation at Morgan State University. He described some of the most consequential individuals in American history and he reminded the audience that Black History Month is celebrated in February because of the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

Life members of Branch 7024 were also honored at the luncheon. Eric Daniels, chairman of the Freedom Fund Committee, presented the 2024 Current Life Members Achievement Awards. Recipients included Oliver W. Brown, Phyllis Brown, Gloria Ferguson, Madelyn M. Hollis, Alice Hutchins, Diane-Jim McComb, Marlon Johnson, Sr., Dorothy G. Pauls, Willie Mae Pauls, Reginald Ryans, Shelia Shorter, Alpha Club, Bryans UMC, Grasonville Community Center, and New Life Community UMC.

The NAACP 7024 Scholarship Committee works to help students of color identify multiple scholarships and resource opportunities to further their education beyond high school graduation. Should you want to learn more about their activities and scholarship support workshops, you can contact the committee at naacpqascholarship@gmail.com.