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There
has been no movement through out the annals of history
which did not involve the active participation of young
people. As time dictates agenda, we recognize that the
time is ripe for young people to carry on the legacy of
our struggle which is being passed from the elders. In
embracing social activism and creating positive personal
lifestyles, this will open the door to understanding and
interacting with diverse cultures. We believe that as young people, we
must seek support, guidance, and counsel from positive,
prayerful, principled elders in order to maintain proper
morals, principles, and conduct. Additionally, we urge
our elders to open their minds and hearts to the Voice of
young people that we may march into the future together
and destroy all gaps which have existed through time.
We urge youth everywhere
to practice healthy lifestyles which involves exercising,
and feeding the mind and body with the best food that we
may be nourished spiritually and physically. In addition,
the practice of engaging in harmful habits must cease!
These include, but are not limited to, the indulgence in
sex, abuse of drugs whether legal or not, and settling
differences violently. Additionally, we call for our
elders and leaders to help us confront and transform the
results of poverty and the onslaught of illicit drugs in
our communities which promote these social ills.
Culture is a powerful
expression of any civilization. It dictates the behavior
and mores of a society. Culture can be a force to
enlighten and liberate a people, or it can serve as a
force that deteriorates. We believe that our culture
should reflect the best in civilized society, thus we
urge young people in the Arts to use their talents for
good. We especially implore our Musicians to use their
influence positively and put strong, uplifting messages
in their music. We believe this will contribute towards
raising the level of consciousness among young people.
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To
educate youth on the function and role of politics in
America and through out the world. This involves
increasing civic education, political participation, and
an understanding of the political process. We believe
this is an important step in motivating youth toward
- 1) greater political
involvement
- 2) power
- 3) insight to help
develop new models of political structures which
will serve all people, regardless of creed,
class, or color.
Further, we must work to
build alliances within our communities and not allow
petty forces from within or outside divide our unity.
We honor our political
prisoners and in doing so, we will work to free them for
they have helped pave the way for us. On the other side,
we will work to educate ourselves and the public about
the prison-industrial complex which is threatening an
entire generation of young people. We believe that we
must develop methods that
1) involve youth in policy development
2) involve youth in decision making
3) hold legislators and other decision makers accountable
4) address policies which do more harm to our youth than
good.
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To
educate our youth on the power and value of economics
from a non-western perspective which
- 1) promotes global
economic development
- 2) which justifies
and respects all human and environmental life.
Of our objectives are the
following; instill principles of collective work and
ownership, harness our dollars into responsible spending
and investment, develop the means to stimulate economic
growth in our communities which serve our best interest,
work out partnerships with the public and private sector,
job developers, and community based organizations to
employ our youth and teach them entrepreneurship.
Whereas other nations of
aggrieved and injured peoples have sought and attained
legal redress through Reparations, we believe that people
of African descent who were enslaved are entitled to the
same redress. We recognize that as a result of our
enslavement, people of African descent continue to suffer
from the institution of slavery and its continuing
practices.
Thus, Reparations are a
matter of international law and justice and acknowledges
formally that a wrong has been committed. This objective
can lead to serious dialogue on remedying social ills
within our society. This can be of great benefit to all
of us, especially in the context of President Clinton's
initiation of a discussion on Race in America.
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Recognizing
that Education is the bedrock of any civilized nation, we
aim to make Education among our youth a primary focus for
the advancement of our people. Meeting this objective
will involve addressing two major issues:
- 1) improving the
quality of education in the public schools and
- 2) continuing to
support and develop independent schools which
serve the best interest of our youth. In addition
to education at the primary level, we will seek
methods of expanding the accessibility of higher
education to help equip our youth for the new
millennium.
This involves:
- 1) expanding access
to technology literacy
- 2) empowering student
body councils to be an integral part of
decision-making at the administrative level
- 3) building
partnerships among primary schools, colleges,
universities, and the community
- 4) garner support for
the HBCUs (Historic Black Colleges and
Universities) and HSIs (Hispanic Serving
Institutions) which usually attract a large
percentage of our youth in higher education
- 5) develop
relationships among international schools.
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