First Black Troop 33 Eagle Scout

To celebrate Black History Month, let's look back to look forward! https://www.facebook.com/allaboutscouts/posts/1919001218238442

February 1st is the beginning of #BlackHistoryMonth, which is an opportunity to amplify the stories of & celebrate the contributions of Black people within our community and all across the country. With that in mind, I’d like to kick off the celebration with a show of respect for Lemuel “Lem” Satterfield, who is Troop 33’s First Black Eagle Scout. He is today's #scoutoftheday😀⛺👏 #tbt
Mr. Satterfield is a shining example of a life lived in alignment with the aims of Scouting. He holds a distinguished place within the Troop’s Eagle Scout Hall of Fame, achieving Scouts BSA’s highest rank by demonstrating leadership and good character. Even his Eagle project hit the mark, as he took on a role as Volunteer Voter Registrar to register voters in
Takoma Park, Maryland
. At that time, the City was split between Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, and he had to go the extra distance and train to be a registrar in both.
Going from door to door to register voters was no walk in the park, but he led his fellow Scouts and together they persevered. In a recent conversation, he admitted his father was a strong motivating force, encouraging him to take on the challenge. Fun fact: his father also made history as a young man. SGT (Ret.) Cicero Satterfield, Sr. served in the
U.S. Army
 Air Corps during WWII as one of the Tuskegee Airmen, who were the first Black military aviators in the U.S. armed forces. Good character & exemplary citizenship runs in the family!
As an adult, Lem pursued a career as a writer & was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize while working at
The Baltimore Sun
. Now he works with people battling substance abuse & helps them along the path to recovery towards more healthy & hopeful lives. If that’s not a commitment to personal fitness and helping other people all at once, I don’t know what is.
I’ve attached now-&-then photos of Lem below; one is a scan of a Polaroid from his Eagle Scout ceremony with his mother Freda Lee Satterfield and former Scoutmaster Don Patti also pictured. In the other, he’s holding his Eagle certificate.
The second he shared with me on Saturday, which according to Troop 33 records, was 40 years to the day since he became the Troop’s 87th Eagle Scout.
Thank you to Lee Howard, Troop 33 Centennial Committee Chair, for sharing.

YiS,
Ms Victoria Eisenberg, Cubmaster Pack 33


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