Mr. Fontenette then helped write a letter last week, signed by more than 500 scouts, calling for the Boy Scouts to take a stronger stance against “anti-black racism.” He said in an interview that he was “moved” by the organization’s statement this week. “It represented for me the first time in my scouting history where I feel like the organization saw me, and valued me completely,” he said. The Boy Scouts’ statement came as membership in the organization has dwindled in recent years. While more than 130 million Americans have participated in the Boy Scouts since its inception, shifting American attitudes have pulled families away from the God-and-country oaths and outdoorsy survival skills associated with the Scouts. Two years later, the Boy Scouts ended a ban on openly gay adult leaders.

Source: New York Times June 17, 2020 20:14 UTC