Boy Scouts to honor Black Lives Matter movement with a new badge and other changes
The Boy Scouts of America announced new changes on Monday to honor the Black Lives Matter movement, including a new “diversity and inclusion” merit badge for Eagle Scouts.
The BSA wrote in a letter to scouting families on Monday that the organization would be implementing diversity and inclusivity training, among other changes.
“There is no place for racism — not in Scouting and not in our communities,” the organization wrote. “Racism will not be tolerated. We condemn the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and all those who are not named but are equally important. We hear the anguish, feel the heartbreak, and join the country’s resolve to do better.”
“The Boy Scouts of America stands with Black families and the Black community because we believe that Black Lives Matter,” the group continued. “This is not a political issue; it is a human rights issue and one we all have a duty to address.”
The BSA said it would be reviewing programs to “ensure diversity and inclusion are engrained at every level,” implementing training for all employees beginning July 1, reviewing events, insignia, and property names to “enhance the organization’s 30-year ban on use of the Confederate flag and to ensure that symbols of oppression are not in use today or in the future.”
The organization will also add a “diversity and inclusion merit badge” required for all Eagle Scouts, according to the letter.
Floyd, 46, died while in police custody on May 25 and his death sparked an avalanche of protests across the nation. He died after now-fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, as three other officers didn’t intervene. Floyd was arrested after being accused by a store employee of using a counterfeit $20 bill to buy a pack of cigarettes at a Minneapolis grocery store.
A 17-year-old bystander took video of the incident, in which Floyd can be heard saying, “Please, please, please, I can’t breathe.”
Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He remains jailed with bail set at $1.25 million.
Officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao were also fired and arrested, charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. Lane was released on June 10 on bond, according to CNN.
