A non-partisan and non-profit alliance of congregations and community groups in Anne Arundel County representing over 20,000 adults.
We meet people face-to-face, listen and build relationships that create the capacity in a community for leadership development, citizen-led action and strong relationships across the lines that often divide our communities.
To act on big problems impacting people, we break them down into issues that can be addressed.
Listening to what is needed, we find new and emerging community leaders who want to work with us for change, and engage others who can help us achieve our goals.
We believe in building power in order to have the capacity to act: power that is reciprocal, that is tempered by our values and traditions, and that includes more people in the dynamics of public life.
ACT does not seek nor receive government funding, relying on contributions and private sources. We do not endorse candidates or work with or for any political parties, however, we work with those running for or holding public office on the issues we care about.
ACT Member Institutions
ACT Strategy Team
Chair
Secretary
Treasurer
Strategy Team Members
With Gratitude for the Service of:
ACT Staff
Katie Zinler
Lead Organizer
katie@actaaco.org
Katie Zinler brings 15 years of community organizing experience with tenants, public schools, faith congregations, labor unions, and community groups. She led campaigns to win $6M annually for affordable housing and $8M for child care in Spokane, WA. In Maryland, Katie organized with parents and teachers to create a new, free, high-quality after-school program in high-poverty elementary schools that is now in 14 schools. She also organized with tenants to get their property manager to clean up systemic toxic black mold in their apartments.
Maurita Bowie
Communications & Administrative Assistant
maurita@actaaco.org
Maurita Bowie is the glue that pulls ACT together and manages our website, database, and communications. She believes that shared information is a key to our ability to build power together.
Katie Wenger
Communications Manager
katie.wenger@actaaco.org
As the Communications Manager for ACT, AIM, and PATH, Katie Wenger supports our work by connecting with leaders and implementing an organized and inclusive communications strategy. Prior to joining ACT, Katie was a leader at ACT’s sister organization VOICE (Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement) in Arlington. Katie also has experience in communications and change management from her previous role as a Business Analyst.
Together with our sister organizations AIM and PATH, we make up the Maryland Just Power Alliance.
ACT, AIM, and PATH are 3 of the founding members of the Just Power Alliance; a collective of organizations from the midwest and the east coast, with a focus on building multi-racial, multi-class, multi-generational, multi-faith and multi-issue coalitions –because sharing power amplifies power.
ACT VALUES STATEMENT
Anne Arundel Connecting Together (ACT) is made up of leaders and organizers building power to improve the lives of our families, communities, regions, and nation. ACT is a non-partisan organization of faith and community-based institutions in Anne Arundel County.
ACT uses nonviolent means to create peaceful ends which create beloved community. We define the beloved community as the “be loved” community where all, regardless of race, religion or creed, are seen and loved for who they are; a place where their worth and dignity is valued and respected. Beloved Community is our end goal where all people live in a safe, democratic, and pluralistic society of peace and love.
ACT believes that injustice and apathy are at the root of many societal ills. We seek to build justice and inspire empathy to draw attention to community issues that continue to be ignored (affordable housing, gun violence, unemployment, etc). When necessary, we use our collective power to put pressure on those forces that are not responding to our calls for justice.
ACT has three core values that inspire our efforts to create beloved community:
- JUSTICE
We ACT to create a just and peaceful society by advocating for just laws and fair treatment for all people. Justice for us is righting power imbalances that leave people with no voice to advocate for their rights. We ACT to create power and change so that their lives matter. We work in solidarity with the marginalized so that equity and human dignity prevails in Anne Arundel County and beyond.
- RELATIONSHIPS AND POWER
We ACT to Build Power. One-on-one relationships and deep listening are our building blocks. We seek to be honest, genuine, and curious, in our relationships. Being respectful of individual boundaries and institutional autonomy, we form diverse, multicultural, and inclusive relationships as we build power together. We believe that when we express our values one-to-one they become magnified and expressed on a larger level that builds collective power in and for the communities we serve.
- ACCOUNTABILITY
We ACT to create accountability. Relationships with our members and community partners are built on integrity, strength, transparency, collaboration, and trust. We ACT to change unjust structures and to challenge stale thinking. Because we hold each other accountable, we are able to speak truth to power and hold those with power accountable to creating just and equitable outcomes for all people, especially those in underrepresented communities.