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Tb .. "or .. , as citizens ho understand that e can never realize the full promise of America until all
BI cks and other oppressed minorities are empo ered to shoulder their 0 n responsibility in a peer
relation with others via 1) genuine self-a areness, 2) keener Insights into the realities of our society
and 3) vastly improved economic opportun ties, tol ng a a n of Ip to
Ju t and . tor all A 81 nd t :
1. that, for a more rapid shift to ard psychological and economic freedom for our community
wherever comparable values are available ith reasonable convenience, all of our needs for goods
and rvices will be serviced from within "affected class" communities and/or from those enter­
prises that provide the most benefits to those communities as a whole ...
2. that, to insure the best possible education for our youth and to insure the best police and fire pro­
tection, e ill insist that only those ho, along ith their families, live ithin our communities, be
able to serve as teachers, policepersons or fire fighters for our communities ...
3. that, for redemptive and equity-building purposes, e will encourage group unity, promote com­
munity control and ork in nonv olent but aggressive ays for survival and gro th of our people on
all fronts and in our nation particularly with programs oriented for our youth like the National
Assault On Illiteracy Program .
4. that, on the basis of the simple equity needed to achieve peaceful and harmonious relationships
among all in this nation, e will make every effort possible to encourage employers to employ more
minorities and engage more minority contractors on an equitable basis ... as long as these minority
contractors have as a primary goal the strengthening of "affected class" communities ...
5. that, since community media are a major voice for community uplift, e ill support those who
support our true leadership voices ... and ill actively discourage support for any media that purport
to represent u but that are not 0 ned from within our community and accountable to the Black
community ...
th t, inasmuch as the only area remaining open to Blacks for quickly and easily establishing
economic equity is their 0 n community, if any company should engage in any ne venture that is
ethnic related, e ill encourage them to join with Blacks and other "affected class" minorities in
developing the project in a manner that is mutually beneficial... .
7. t at, for the continued economic survival of Blacks, a ill encourage Black business and profes-
ional peop e to support in e ery possible ay those institutions committed to ork for the princip es of
this pledge ...
a. that, to reduce the unconscionab e 44 percent "functional illiteracy" rate among our young adults that
may assign many Black persons permanently to lives of alfare, drugs, crime, e c., e will join others in
sponsoring provenly-productive programs like that of the National Assault On Illiteracy Program (AOIP)
now being supported by many Black ne spaper publishers ...
• that, for s mp e self .... espect, and for the development of group strength, e ill ork to strengthen our
educational system, develop our 0 n community organizations like Nattonal Business League local
chapters, National Council for Policy Review ( CPR) affiliates, SCLC, local Opportunities In�ustrializa­
tion Centers (OIC), People U ted to Save Humanity (PUSH), local AACP chapters, local United Black
Funds, local fraternity and sororities, community-building efforts, etc. And finally ...
10. th t, because the Black Church (along with the Black-o ned press) haS been in the forefront of the
trugg for freedom and dignity for all men in this nation, and because the community needs the moral
strength th t It imparts, e III do all we can to support it financially and 0 ise even if live In
other communities and cannot regularty attend •.. for, this is chief among the preciou Black institutions.
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