Civil Rights pioneer, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on 15 January 1929. Every year we celebrate his birthday as a federal holiday on a Monday in January. You may not know, but Dr. King was also a Boy Scout. We do not have complete records, but we know from Atlanta Area Council recharter documents that at least from age 11 to 13, Dr. King was a registered Scout in Troop 151 in Atlanta, chartered by Ebenezer Baptist Church where his father, Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr. was the pastor and Chartering Organization Representative. Later in life, Dr. King would go on to pastor the same church. Interesting fact, at age 15, Dr. King graduated high school early and was accepted into Morehouse College. As I think of Dr. King's life and the Scout Law, the point that stands out most is "A Scout is Brave." Consider the following statement from Dr. King in 1962, "People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don't know each other; they don't know each other because they have not communicated with each other." Dr. King sought to correct racial injustice, and his impact on our society was because he had the courage to stand up and make himself heard.
A Scout is Brave