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By David Aaro, Fox News<\/p>\n
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) announced Monday it will implement a specific \u201cdiversity and inclusion merit badge\u201d in support of the Black Lives Matter movement that will be required to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout going forward.<\/p>\n
In a letter to scouting families, the organization said it will also require diversity and inclusion training for all BSA employees starting on July 1, and a review of property names, events and insignia will be conducted \u201cto build on and enhance the organization\u2019s nearly 30-year ban on [the] use of the Confederate flag.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Boy Scouts of America stands with Black families and the Black community because we believe that Black Lives Matter,\u201d the letter said. \u201cThis is not a political issue; it is a human rights issue and one we all have a duty to address.\u201d<\/p>\n
The BSA used the term \u201cmurders\u201d when discussing George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. Their deaths ignited recent protests against systemic racism and police brutality in the U.S. The organization said all those not named were equally important, adding it hears \u201cthe anguish, feel[s] the heartbreak, and join[s] the country\u2019s resolve to do better.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs our country reckons with racial injustice, we all must consider our role and our failures and commit to meaningful action,\u201d the BSA said. \u201cThere is no place for racism \u2014 not in Scouting and not in our communities. Racism will not be tolerated.\u201d<\/p>\n
The organization said the new diversity and inclusion badge will build on components within existing merit badges that require Scouts to learn about and engage with other groups and cultures. To ensure diversity and inclusion are \u201cengrained at every level,\u201d the BSA will also be reviewing \u201cevery element of our programs.\u201d<\/p>\n
The changes come nearly four months after the BSA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, halting the hundreds of lawsuits it faced after decades of sexual abuse claims against the 110-year-old organization over the years.<\/p>\n
Sexual abuse settlements had reportedly strained the Boy Scouts\u2019 finances, with states passing laws last year so victims of long-ago abuse can sue for damages.<\/p>\n
On Monday, the\u00a0BSA said<\/a>\u00a0it wasn\u2019t as brave as it should have been in the past, but said, as Scouts, \u201cwe must always stand for what is right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think this is a big deal to the extent that all these traditional, Christian-oriented organizations are trying to get their houses in order with regard to systematic racism,\u201d Alvin Tillery Jr., a political science professor at Northwestern University, told\u00a0NBC News<\/a>. \u201cThis is an organization that is super-embattled and they\u2019ve had to adopt more progressive stances because nobody wants to have anything to do with them.\u201d<\/p>\n