I’m still just shocked to hear that Girl Scouts are called “Girl Guides” in Canada.

I’m going to have to get over that before I even begin to try to process claiming that “brownie” is a racist word.

CNN:

The Canadian equivalent of the Girl Scouts is dropping the name “Brownie,” the membership branch of some of its youngest scouts, after current and former scouts raised concern that it could harm Black members and girls of color.

Now, 7- and 8-year-old members of the Girl Guides of Canada will be called Embers, a name chosen with the help of current scouts and adult alumni. Other scouting organizations, including Girl Scouts of the USA, still use the name Brownies, but the origin of the word itself is less important than the way it made girls feel, Girl Guides of Canada CEO Jill Zelmanovits said in a statement.

Girl Guides of Canada said it made the change after members said the former name was offensive to them: “This was a name that made them feel extremely uncomfortable, prompted teasing and racist comments and was a barrier to feeling that they belong at Girl Guides.”

“Some do not want to be part of this branch because of the name,” the organization said. “Some girls choose to skip this branch altogether or delay joining Girl Guides until after this branch.”

📣 Our new branch name is EMBERS! 🔥 Embers are full of potential and when they work together, they can ignite a powerful flame!

With this new name, we’re showing girls that what they say matters, and that Girl Guides is a place for everyone to belong. https://t.co/hXSPTW5muu pic.twitter.com/BJnb1zNFne

— Girl Guides of Canada (@girlguidesofcan) January 11, 2023

Girl Guide troops are expected to start using the Embers name immediately, per Girl Guides, with updated Embers materials and uniforms to follow.

…

Both Girl Guides and Girl Scouts have pledged to become “anti-racist organizations” since 2020. “We are dedicated to carrying out this pledge, and we are currently evaluating all aspects of our program to ensure alignment with this commitment,” the Girl Scouts of the USA said in a statement to CNN.

The branch of the Scouts is called “brownies” after a food they bake and sell. Brownies the food are called that because the chocolate in them makes them the color brown.’

“Brownies” is not a racist desert name.

It would be racist if they were called “coon cakes” or “nigger bites.” But they’re not called that, so it’s not racist.

We can’t just pretend dark colors don’t exist because some folks were unfortunate enough to be born with brown skin.

They need to take that issue up with Ham, and ask him why he raped his own father.

A girl guide group faces being thrown out of the national association after refusing to force members to drop God from the oath.

Troop leaders have rejected new rules saying that the inclusion of God should not be compulsory but a matter of personal choice.

But they have now been sent an ‘aggressive’ letter ordering them to back down or leave GirlGuiding UK at the end of the month. Critics branded the approach a ‘move for exclusion’.

The Guiding Promise was altered earlier this year so that members now swear ‘to be true to myself and develop my beliefs’ rather than the original ‘to love my God’.

But Glynis Mackie, 55, who has been leading the 37th Newcastle Guide Unit in Jesmond for more than 25 years, said the new pledge ‘sidelined’ Christianity.

Mrs Mackie, added: ‘This is an example of people not realising the importance of faith, of all faiths, in our community.

‘I would go as far as saying that it is an example of faith being sidelined in society.’

‘I imagine changing the pledge was intended to include more people, but what it is actually doing is excluding those who have faith.

‘I understand why an atheist might not want to make a promise to God, and that is fine by me, but it has to be up to the individual.’

Mrs Mackie and the other leaders of the group slammed the new pledge as a ‘fridge magnet promise that doesn’t really mean anything’.

But Chief Guide Gill Slocombe insisted the move ‘opened our arms to welcome even more girls and adults, of all faiths –  and none’.

The words ‘to be true to myself and develop my beliefs’ have replaced ‘to love my God’, and the words ‘to serve the Queen and my community’ will replace ‘to serve the Queen and my country’.

Girl Guiding’s chief commissioner in the North East has told the group their membership of the organisation will be ended on December 31.

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