Boy Scouts Announce New Critical Race Theory Requirement

{snip}

Not only did the Boy Scouts end their identity as an exclusively male institution when they opened the organization to girls in 2019, they’re also the latest to cave to the nationwide push for critical race theory, or as they and others euphemistically call it, “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.”

At the very beginning of this month, the national organization announced a new merit badge entitled “Citizenship in Society,” that will become a required merit badge for those pursuing the rank of Eagle Scout in July 2022. Citizenship in The World, Citizenship in The Nation, and Citizenship in The Community are already required merit badges, each of which I quite enjoyed. So what’s Citizenship in Society?

According to the announcement, the merit badge, which was “developed by BSA’s Office of Diversity and Youth Development Office” will “encourage Scouts to explore important topics around diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

{snip}

{snip} While the content that’s openly advertised to children remains rather tame, the content for the adults who’ll be guiding Scouts through the process reveals the radicalism of the ideologies of those who worked to make this a requirement for prospective Eagle Scouts.

{snip}

One such resource is the “All My Relations” podcast, which focuses on the Native American experience and features episodes titled “Decolonizing Sex,” “Celebrate Indigenous Peoples, Not Columbus,” and “Indigiqueer.” {snip}

There’s also Learning for Justice’s “White Anti Racism: Living the Legacy” a transcription of a series of interviews that parrots the critical race theory talking points we’ve become all too familiar with.

When one participant is asked “What do you think of the concept of being ‘colorblind,’” she responds with “I hate it.” Another participant describes one of the stages of becoming a white ally as “Realize the meanings behind privilege, racism, and whiteness.” The organization is a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, a group that profits from spreading racial and religious animosity, and creates curricula that intend to “dismantle white supremacy” and “strengthen intersectional movements.”

The Guide to Allyship is also listed as a resource. It instructs people to “Transfer the benefits of your privilege to those who lack it” and to “Amplify voices of the oppressed before your own.”

The FAQ section of the guide gives counselors talking points they can use when facing questions. Under one of the answers, there’s the line “Use only if pressed (reactive only),” before listing ways in which the organization is promoting “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” including “Offering diversity and inclusion training for BSA employees and volunteers” and “Reviewing property names, events and insignia, in partnership with local councils, to ensure that symbols of oppression are not in use today or in the future.”

{snip}

When The Federalist inquired about the materials the BSA is providing to counselors, the organization’s PR team avoided commenting on the specific resources and instead stated that “The merit badge does not advocate for a particular point of view, but rather encourages Scouts to learn about diversity and inclusion and ethical leadership through self-exploration, research and exercises with their merit badge counselor, parents and peers.”

They also added that “The ideals and values of diversity, equity and inclusion are core to who we are at BSA. {snip}.”

{snip}