reclaim their heritage .
. "The seat of it all is in
Africa," aid Samp on. He
acknowledged the
Rom n/Greco civilization
lasted only 450 years, while
the Egyptian civilization
la ted for over 10,000 years.
Samp on aid today 's
youth need to kno where
they came from, their pur­
po e , de tiny, how to get
there, how long it will take,
and build relationships.
He s id youth are tarting
off backward , with relation-
hip, aying, "How c n you
lay a foundation for a
relation hip when tanding
on and."
Star tin gar e I a t ion hip.
with no job or skill i
trouble for both the man and
wom n, aid S mp on.
Samp on aid he wa ick
of uati tic that highlighted
Blac people problem,
s ying they re used by
raci l a background
m teri 1.
He aid living in a ingle
home with no one to help you
i not n excuse, but a chal­
. lenge to "keep moving, get
kill , don't 100 for olution
become the olution."
"Adversitie are the great
experience ." said Samp on,
saying raci m i a ickne s. a
"p ychoto glcal. impri on­
ment," which need a
capegoat for it con cious.
Samp on emphasized
building creative coalitions
,to combat the problem in the
Black community, aying,
"All of us are in this mess."
The two-day conference
al 0 consi ted of a number of
work hop pre ented by
Black professionals,
educators, and clergy. About
.50-75 I-Ipcc students at­
tended the conference.
ACCORDI G TO con­
ference officials, there were
three rea on for giving the
conference: To di cu
everal key issue relating to
the plight of the Black male
in Metro Detroi t;
To provide a forum for in­
dividu I to convene and di - .
cus ideas; and
To explore olution and
to provide an opportuni ty to
hare' experience mong a
bro d range of participants.
Dr. Robert Atkinson,
School of Bu ines cl In­
du try, Florida A cl M
University. gave a keynote
ddre Frid y on the topic
"Excellence in Education In­
ure Excellent Employment
Opportunitie ." .
HPCC Pre ident Comer
Heath aid people enjoyed
the conference and ill go
bac to their job to exchange
'information, and move on
with their responsibilities.
He poi nted out tbe con­
ference a quite exten ive
in re ard to the Black male.
OCTOBER 28·NOV
Over 14 workshops were con­
ducted, with topic such as
"Blact Male High School
Drop Out Prevention
Strategie ," "The Black
Church: . A Forgotten
Resource in Developing
Strategie to Addre Black
Male I sue" nd
"Entrepreneur hip: A Model
for Self-Employment."
John Mason, WJLB' Radio
Personali ty, conducted
wortshop on "Media an the
Black Male Crisis," ich
focused on how the edia
can negatively or posit vely
infl ue nce t e image and
portr y I f the Blac male.
Heath s the conference
focused more on problem
olving than pointing out the
problems, saying everyone
knows what the pro�lem are.
.-
RECOGNIZES NO '
LIMrrn TO LEARNING .
A . an-American achievers
are a common trait: a profound
mmitment, an inner drive that
"
nothing stand in the way of
education. Because th� kn
th t education is critical for
success.
RJR Nabisco, we share that
drive for educational opportunitY.
So that Mry African-American
son' and daughter can achieve­
the potential within them.
RJR NIDIICO -Comlmmecl
I
• A century of support tor min .
mil ions of dollars nationally
facilities - from Richard J.
to help establish historically-
University to the cornpays rant to 'NSSU this �
• A major contributor to the United Negro College Fund since
it was created in 1944, and a founding member of its
nron Dollar Roundtable" ,. . ..
• Dedicated to improving K-12 public education by funding
innovative programs through our �million Next Century
School Fund, 'which this year awarded many of its first 15
grants to schools with predomi� ninority student bod'es
•