Legendary Musician and Singer Prince to Donate Proceeds From “Rally 4 Peace” Concert to NAACP

The NAACP is excited to announce that Grammy-award winning artist and legendary pop icon Prince will donate a portion of the proceeds from his “Rally 4 Peace” — the surprise concert announced in the wake of Freddie Gray’s death and the unrest that followed — to the NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) in an effort to inspire and empower Baltimore’s youth. The amount to be donated is currently undisclosed.

The NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics is an achievement program designed to recruit, stimulate, and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among African-American high school students. Students compete year-round in a series of regional competitions, all culminating in the 37th annual Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) competition in Philadelphia on July 9th to July 12th during the 106th NAACP Annual Convention. ACT-SO includes 29 categories of competition in STEM, humanities, business, and culinary, performing and visual arts. More than almost 300,000 young people have participated from the program since its inception.

From Cornell William Brooks, NAACP President & CEO:
“The NAACP is both humbled and delighted to receive such a generous donation from such an iconic musical figure. Prince is an artist that not only makes us think, but also inspires us to act. His new song aptly titled, ‘Baltimore’ asks the question, ‘Does anybody hear us pray, for Michael Brown and Freddie Gray?’ These words will resonate through the ears, hearts and minds of all who hear. Our Association is beyond grateful for this tremendous gift. Young people throughout the city of Baltimore will grow stronger and go further in school and in life because of this donation. We look forward to working with Prince on future endeavors.”

From Larry Brown Jr., NAACP National ACT-SO Director:
“We are tremendously grateful for Prince’s thoughtful and benevolent gift. We continue to applaud and uplift his desire for social change, justice and peace in every community, particularly communities of color. The momentous ‘Rally 4 Peace’ marked the resurgence of a movement that unites arts and activism. The youth of Baltimore have a greater opportunity to engage with ACT-SO, to pursue their scholastic and cultural dreams, and ultimately change the world.”