In the late 1920s, Negroes in Richmond, Virginia, became interested in joining the Boy Scout movement. Scouting had been present in this city for well over a decade in the form of the Richmond Area Council. Up to this point, local participation in Scouting had been restricted to whites only. It was a time when "colored" boys had few, if any, organized outlets in healthy, character-building activities. Negroes in the community were aware of the great progress being made by Scouting in developing leadership. These civic-minded men wanted the boys of their race to also benefit from the philosophy and practical training put forward by Scouting.

Several community leaders can be given credit for making Scouting available to Negroes in Richmond. Three men in particular were key people in this effort: Dr. J. Mercer G. Ramsey, local dentist; Professor Charles T. Russell, noted architect and superintendent of buildings and grounds at Virginia Union University; and Dr. James E. Jackson, Sr., pharmacist. Dr. Ramsey was a strong leader who could see the tremendous advantages of Scouting as a means of guiding future leaders. Dr. Ramsey's advocacy of Scouting drew the support of other men such as dentist Dr. S. D. Calloway, Virginia Union professors L. F. Jeffries and R. P. Daniel and Richmond Urban League executive secretary Wiley A. Hall.

At first, Dr. Ramsey and his group of Negro leaders encountered staunch resistance from the Richmond Area Council. Scout Executive Charles Weaver was in favor of Negro participation in Scouting, but the Council's board of directors opposed this change. It was an era of segregation of the races. The Negroes got nowhere in their endeavors to initiate a Boy Scout program until they persisted as far as contacting Chief Scout Executive Dr. James S. West at national headquarters in New York City. They presented their wishes to West, one of the founders of the Scouting movement in America. He was won over by the commitment of these men and persuaded the Richmond Area Council to relent on the color bar. With backing from Dr. West, Richmond got a Scouting program available to Negro boys.

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