Five teenagers made South Carolina history after being inducted together as the largest class of Black Eagle Scouts. They achieved the distinction in Orangeburg after years of dedication to the service.

Willie Townes, Derwin Brailey, Melvin Hart, Khamary Cleckley and Sean Nimmons are members of the Scouting America Troops 500 and 190. On Saturday, they were inducted during an Eagle Scout Court of Honor ceremony hosted at Trinity United Methodist Church.

Fewer than 6% of scouts in the U.S. reach that status, according to WLTX. Achieving this rank requires years of dedication, leadership and service. Scouts must earn at least 21 merit badges, serve in leadership roles and complete major community service projects designed to create lasting impact.

“That’s an honor just to know what is going on in the world, watching what is happening, knowing that there are individuals that will do what these gentlemen has done to have this honor and take it forward,” Scoutmaster Ron Mosley told WLTX. “But this is a monumental occasion that’s going on, and these young men, I’ve been with them for a long time, and I know what they are capable of doing and looking forward to what they do in the future.”

The five scouts reflected on the significance of their achievement

Willie Townes reflected on what it took to achieve the status, especially regarding recent roadblocks like the pandemic.

“It’s surreal, extremely; there were roadblocks, especially with COVID, which slowed down the progress, but we stuck through it, and I’m glad I did,” he said in an interview with WLTX.

Sean Nimmons agreed, saying,“Here now it’s like wow, kind of feel like I’m on cloud nine, I worked so hard, like I’ve seen others get Eagle before me, God did this, get the glory and praise, because he allowed me to be here.”

Derwin Brailey, who is the youngest in the group of inductees, hopes it inspires others to join them.

“Being the youngest out of these guys makes me feel like I got some weight on it, stick around and help some of these younger guys out,” he said. “There are kids out there not doing this and suggest them come and try to join the program so they can have something to carry behind their name.”

Khamary Cleckley reflected on the milestone, noting its personal significance and the importance of giving back.

“I started as a kid, grew up in it, and to be here now is a great feeling,” he said. “This is my home church, so I plan to come back and help with the young people, and we have other Eagle Scouts, so I was to come back and help the younger generation.”

Melvin Hart agreed, highlighting the significance of representation.

“This means a whole lot to me. Not a lot of individuals get to achieve this rank,” he said. “It’s a very small percent, and being amongst the few, especially being young Black men, it holds a lot.”