Prior to 2022, the Illini District of Scouting America (formerly known as Boy Scouts), hadn’t had any Eagle Scouts for over two decades. At a ceremony last Thursday at New Life Community Church in East St. Louis, three young men received the honor, the highest rank in the organization, which is awarded to only 4% to 6% of scouts nationwide. The achievement is especially significant because just 7% of scouts across the country are Black. Sultan Al-Uqdah Jr., along with twins Khalif and Khalil Morehead, earned the Eagle Scout rank, marking a milestone for the district and a moment of representation in the program.
Al-Uqdah Jr., a 15-year-old sophomore at Althoff Catholic High School has been a scout since he was about eight years old. He became interested after meeting his future scout master, Roosevelt Fair-Kincaid, at a St. Louis library where his mother enrolled him in the program. “She signed me up right then and there and since then I’ve just enjoyed being in it,” he said. Khalif and Khalil were also introduced to the organization by a family member.
“The most helpful thing I learned would probably be discipline,” Khalif said, speaking of his journey to become an Eagle Scout. “Without it I probably wouldn’t be where I am right now. I probably would have given up a while ago.”
The twins have participated in scouting since they were 10 years old and learned of the program through their local church and enrolled by their father, Keith, who was also a scout. Now the two will soon be 17 and are high school seniors and football players. Khalil attends Belleville East High School and Khalif attends a high school program at Southwestern Illinois College.
Scouts of America is an international organization that was first introduced in Great Britain in 1908 and established in the states in 1910. It’s one of the largest youth programs in the country and was initially created to teach boys good citizenship, chivalrous behavior and outdoor skills. In 2018 girls were allowed to join Cub Scouts, which are 5-10 years old. In 2019 they were allowed to join older youth programming.
The ranks in Scouting for America are scout, tenderfoot, second class, first class, star, life and Eagle Scout. One has to at least be in the first class rank in order to apply to be an Eagle Scout. And obtaining Eagle Scout rank is a challenging commitment.
To become an Eagle Scout, an application has to be completed and then reviewed by the council. Also, 22 merit badges are earned, 14 of which are mandatory. Requirements also include demonstrations of leadership and a community service project. The process can take several months or years depending on the pace of the scout.
The Eagle Scout rank is considered a lifetime achievement. The distinction is recognized by the military, higher education and professional fields, often offering advanced enlistment grades for service members and scholarship opportunities for college-bound students. Eagle Scouts also gain access to the National Eagle Scout Association, a lifelong network.
To complete the process, scouts in District Illini are supported not only by Kinkaid, but also by Operation Eagle Quest, a program initiated by the Greater St. Louis Area Council.
For Khalif’s service project, he led a beautifying project for the Caseyville Moose Lodge 4 that included coordinating volunteers for painting, cleaning and landscaping for several days. “It took a long time to plan and it’s kind of hard scheduling and contacting everyone to see when they’re all available, but I was really happy to see the job get done,” he said.
Khalil distributed gun locks, which involved contacting his local police department and coordinating events and locations for distribution. The activity was a significant piece of Scouting America encounters which has added value to his life. “It brought me new experiences because there was a lot of stuff I never did before like maybe two years ago, I shot a bow for the first time.”
For his Eagle Scout project, Sultan promoted the importance of literacy among youth that required him to learn how to collect and analyze data and figure out how to market his message.
Scouting America has offered the boys an opportunity to further develop their talents and strengths and build self-pride. Their parents are proud of them as well.
“To see them working hard, staying dedicated and persevering to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout through this challenging and difficult process was wonderful to witness as their father,” Keith said praising his sons’ tenacity.
Valerie Young, Al-Uqdah Jr.’s mother has been delighted to see how scouting has enhanced her son’s development and ongoing commitment to being of service.
“Sultan worked hard,” she said. “He did this mainly on his own. I see how regardless of the title of Eagle Scout he still serves the community. At 13 he became the youngest [staff member] at the National Youth Leadership Training.”
For the Morehead twins, scouting has played a pivotal role in shaping their goals. Khalif hopes to become an aerospace engineer, while Khalil, who gained training in digital technology and electrical engineering through Scouting America, also plans to pursue a career in engineering.
“The most helpful thing I learned would probably be discipline,” Khalif said, speaking of his journey to become an Eagle Scout. “Without it I probably wouldn’t be where I am right now. I probably would have given up a while ago.”
All the boys plan to stay involved with Scouting America even after they turn 18, when scouts age out of the organization. Along with the social benefits of scouting, Al-Uqdah Jr. values the internal fortitude it’s helped him cultivate.
“It’s always a fun thing to be going to camp or making friends or doing other things,” he said. “It’s always an exhilarating experience and something that you should try out if you want your son or daughter in an extracurricular program. Being an Eagle Scout is one of the highest honors there is. It’s a journey in life that you’re proud of, knowing that you earned that and you did that of your own accord.”
Wendy Todd is a St. Louis American Report for America corps member.
Congratulations boys! You deserve this award!