(3)
THAT biased tracking, testing and ability group practices cease. (4) THAT school curricula include courses in Black History and Black social thought, as well as contributions of all ethnic groups. Further, we must become involved in our school system at the policy development and implementation levels. We must monitor present and future school policies, programs and practices, and demand assurances that they will not affect Black youth negatively. This means becoming candidates for school boards, attending school board meetings and becoming actively involved with educational coalitions of concerned citizens. We must commit ourselves to work for a better tomorrow for our children, and persuade others to do so also. Our children's future is at stake.
Higher Education
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
A trend in higher education that continues to disturb us is the declining enrollments, both absolutely and relatively, of Black students in colleges and universities. Of grave concern is the fact that the percentage graduating from college is declining even more. This trend is occurring at the time that a college degree is more critical than ever before for gaining entry into the scientific, technical, and professional careers of today. We must insist that our young people go to college. Stay in school. Pursue excellence. Graduate. We must encourage the more talented among the college graduates to pursue graduate and professional degrees. The number of Black Ph.D.'s is declining. According to a recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, "Black Americans earned 820 research doctorates in 1986, 26.5 percent fewer than they received 10 years ago." The decline was especially precipitous among Black men, who received less than half as many doctorates as they had in 1977. If talented Black undergraduates are to be encouraged to consider academic careers, it is undergraduate faculties and administrators, many of whom are ALPHAS, who must identify and encourage them. Toward these goals Alpha Phi Alpha recommends the following measures: (1) THAT our Fraternity's scholarship program be expanded, publicized, and made available to qualifying young men and women who are seeking to enter or remain in college. (2) THAT our chapters continue and expand their scholarships for men and women who graduate from local high schools and participate in college readiness programs to assist these young people to gain admission to the colleges of their choice. (3) THAT colleges and universities accelerate their efforts to
(8)
recruit Black students and offer them necessary support services to assist them to remain in school and graduate. THAT corporate organizations provide assistance to aspiring young Black college students in the form of scholarships, work-and-study programs, and release time for completion of college degrees. THAT we continue to support Black colleges through the United Negro College Fund, state governmental assistance, individual alumni associations, and encouraging interested students to attend. THAT education, in general, be re-established as a national priority and, accordingly, the Federal government direct more resources to building and rebuilding our educational institutions. THAT we applaud the passage of the Black College Act in 1986. However, we seek continued and greater support for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU's) beyond 1991. THAT all institutions of higher learning make a special effort to hire Black professionals, thus creating an incentive for more Blacks to enter the teaching profession. We also insist that promotion practice be made equitable. especially at the tenure level.
Adult Education . . . Assault on Illiteracy Studies conducted in the early 80's indicated that about 25 million Americans cannot read or write at all and another 30 million are considered functional illiterates - unable to perform well in today's market place or society. (This group cannot read instructions on boxes and bottles.) Even such relatively low-level jobs such as cooking and delivery require that a person be able to read on a seventh grade level. This means that for many, the skills needed to handle minimal demands of daily living are absent. About 44% of Black teenagers suffer from illiteracy according to a recent poll conducted by the New York Times. The country spends 6.6 billion to keep roughly 700,000 illiterates in jail (the majority are black males), and Juvenile Court records indicate that 8 5 % of the children on their case load cannot read past the third grade level; here, too, the majority are minority. Alpha Phi Alpha supports government programs for the eradication of this crisis in America but Black America must set up its own programs within its own communities to wipe out this problem. With strong leadership and dedicated volunteers, the illiteracy gap can be closed.
HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) or SIDA (Syndrome Imaginaire pour De courager Les Amoureau) as it is called in Romance Languages is perhaps the most devastating disease that has come on the scene in recent history. It has had a profound effect in both the medical and social arenas. AIDS has revolutionized medical techniques with respect to the study of virallyinduced diseases and has made us take a step back to look at our social and sexual mores. The only positive thing that can be said about AIDS is that it is the vehicle that has provided and is providing us with significant advancement in medical immunology as well as many related medical disciplines. If nothing else, AIDS has forced the re-evaluation and change of our social and sexual behavior. By virtue of our present knowledge of the transmission of this disease, it becomes clear that promiscuous male homosexuality is a very dangerous life style. In
The Sphinx/Fall 1988
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addition, indiscriminate intravenous drug use coupled with the sharing of unclean needles offer a high probability for the contraction of this fatal disease. We can no longer afford to allow cavalier attitudes to exist with respect to drug use in the Black community. Drug use must be eradicated for our people to have an opportunity for growth and achievement. Sexual promiscuity within the teenage and young adult black community, together with prostitution provide another vector for the rapid dissemination of AIDS and must be a high priority concern. We must educate our people concerning this deadly menace. We must elevate the minds of our youth, change their value systems and put in place a mechanism for improvement in selfesteem and true upward mobility.
Project Alpha/Teenage Pregnancy/Infant Mortality Babies are having babies. Each year for the past decade, more than one million teenage girls have become pregnant. Over half
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