In a historic ceremony held at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church on Detroit’s west side on Saturday, May 17, eight African American Boy Scouts from Troop 647 were presented the coveted Eagle Scout Award. With family, friends, fellow scouts, former award recipients, and other guests attending the ceremony, the eight Scouts joined a small percentage of all Boy Scouts in America to ever earn the rank of Eagle Scout, the youth organization’s highest honor.
The advanced scouts awarded at the Eagle Scouts Court of Honor Ceremony – all in their late teens or early 20s – included Maissa N. Slaughter, Joseph M. Williams, Cameron W. Cornelious, Torence L. Griffin, Jalen A. Dunn, Jordan A. Dunn, Kaiden T. Ellis, and Jackson C. Azu.
“Receiving the Eagle Scout Award gives me a sense of great pride and joy,” said Azu, a student at Morehouse College who has been in Scouting since the 4th grade, beginning as a Cub Scout. “It was hard work to get here, but it has paid off. I wanted to complete the legacy of my scouting experience by earning the Eagle Scout Award.”
Requirements to become an Eagle Scout, according to the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), include earning at least 21 merit badges, being active in troop activities, demonstrating leadership and Scout Spirit, and completing an approved service project. Merit badges are circular patches awarded to Boy Scouts who demonstrate a high level of mastery and proficiency associated with Scout crafts, academic subjects, and technical skills as required by the BSA. There are more than 135 merit badges covering an array of subjects/topics, including First Aid, Citizenship in the Community, Communication, Cooking, Emergency Preparedness, Environmental Science, Hiking, Personal Fitness, and Swimming. Once earned, Scouts wear the merit badge patches on a sash when in uniform.
“These young men have demonstrated exceptional commitment to the values of Scouting and have made meaningful contributions to our community,” said Troop 647 Scoutmaster Omari Sankofa. “They are so desperately needed in so many ways. And with all of the time and effort that these Scouts have put into reaching this ceremony, this culmination of years and years, hours and hours, minutes and minutes, demonstrates their commitments to excellence.”
Echoing Sankofa’s message was keynote speaker Edward Hightower, who rendered words of encouragement and the Eagle Charge.
“I sat where you are now seated 46 years ago,” said Hightower, who reached the rank of Eagle Scout as a member of Boy Scout Troop 534 on the Southside of Chicago several decades ago. “So I congratulate you on completing and achieving the highest rank of the No. 1 youth development program in the country. However, becoming an Eagle Scout is not the end of a journey, it is really the beginning.”
Hightower, an electric vehicle OEM CEO, global automotive executive, entrepreneur, and author, pointed out that there are many successful and well-known individuals who, in their youth, earned Eagle Scout Awards. These individuals, said Hightower, are represented in the fields of business, government, law, education, science, technology, medicine, the faith-based sector, entertainment, sports, and philanthropy.
“Today, Eagles, as you reflect on your achievements and all the skills that you’ve acquired, I challenge you to use the values of scouting to be a service to your community and the world,” Hightower said. “As stated in Luke 12: 48, ‘To whom much is given, much will be required.’ Because you are an Eagle Scout, your friends, family, community, colleagues, and Church will expect more from you. But don’t worry, you are prepared to deliver on those expectations.”
Each of the eight new Eagle Scouts was presented with the Eagle badge, a special neckerchief placed around their neck by their parents or a designated person, Eagle statues, and other citations. The Eagle Scouts also pinned their parents and mentors to acknowledge the support rendered in helping the youngsters reach the pinnacle of Scouting.
“I’m extremely proud of what Jackson has accomplished in Scouting,” said Sara Azu, Jackson’s mother. “He has put a lot of time and effort into Scouting. When I look at how he has matured and has become a more responsible adult, I attribute a lot of that to the Boy Scouts.”
Jackson Azu’s father agrees.
“The Boy Scouts and Troop 647 have been great for Jackson,” said Charles Azu. “I’m glad that we were able to find this troop and have Jackson join it. The troop has had terrific male mentors for the scouts, and my son has made lifelong friends from his experiences in Scouting.”
Scouting in America was founded in 1910, a couple of years after the British Scouting Movement was established in London, England. The creation of merit badges and Eagle Scout rank soon followed. As of 2025, tens of millions of Americans have been a part of the storied Scouting organization, of which approximately 2.75 million youth have ascended to the organization’s highest and most prestigious rank of Eagle Scout.
Interestingly, it has been reported that only between 1% and 2% of all Eagle Scouts in America are Black. According to multiple credible sources, among the first Black Eagle Scouts in America are believed to have been Hamilton Bradley (Rome, New York, 1919), Harry Cooper (Kansas City, Missouri, 1920), and Edgar V. Cunningham (Waterloo, Iowa, 1926). Other well-known Eagle Scouts have included Ernest Green (one of the Little Rock Nine) and Guion Bluford (The first Black American astronaut launched into space).
In the Motor City, the Detroit Lions have an Eagle Scout in their backfield. David Montgomery, the tough running, difficult to tackle running back, earned his prestigious Eagle Scout Award in 2014 from Troop 772 in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 2024, he was chosen as a National Scouting Ambassador. Montgomery admits that while in high school, he had two loves: Scouting and football. He is believed to be one of 17 Eagle Scouts to play in the NFL during the 2024 -25 season.
“I had to learn how to prioritize what was important to me,” Montgomery said in an interview with a National Scouting Publication after being named Scouting Ambassador last year. “Scouting was important to me. And it still is. When I completed my Eagle Scout project, it was like, Now I can go play football. Football was important, but Scouting was far more important.”
Troop 647, formed at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church in 1939, is one of Michigan’s oldest African American Boy Scout troops. Since the formation of the troop, it has elevated approximately 65 boys to the rank of Eagle Scout. Since 2010 and under Scoutmaster Sankofa’s leadership, 28 Boy Scouts have soared to become Eagle Scouts. Sankofa said the troop wants to offer the Scouting experience to more young Detroiters and other youth living in Metro Detroit.
For more information about Hartford’s “Cub Scout Program” and “Boy Scout Troop 647,” call the Church at 313.861.1300 or 313.861.1285.
