Downtown developments have saved some cities from collapse but don't make up for the loss of federal funds, nor do they provide jobs or housing suitable for most inner city residents. Nothing, however, has hurt the inner cities more than drug use. (DM)

Presents information, statistical and anecdotal, on the disproportionate involvement of Black youth in crime. Describes the existence of a large, alienated underclass of Black youth, composed of drug pushers and users. Examines political, social, and familial causes of this problem and suggests some solutions. (KH)

Birmingham, like many cities, is losing its White middle class and is pressed to provide services for those who remain. The city's survival will depend on meeting specific educational goals. The mayor would welcome a Democratic president whose policies would focus on cities. (DM)

Los Angeles is rapidly becoming more diverse. Its future depends upon whether educational needs can be met and whether public transportation can be developed that ends the isolation of the many "villages" that make up the area and enables them to work together. (EVL)

Urban economy, society, and technology are undergoing great and simultaneous changes. Problems created by this call for a new look, a rebuilding with a sense of justice and equal treatment. If present trend continues, the untrained, and uneducated poor will become dominant inner-city groups in all major cities. (Author/AM)

Poverty and racism are the chief causes of homelessness. Political action is needed to persuade the government to provide affordable housing and related social services. (DM)

Lack of self-esteem is the root of many social problems. The California Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility has made several recommendations to promote self-esteem as a social vaccine against the problems besetting minority and urban families. (SLD)

The incidence of racial violence and bias crime has increased dramatically in New York City in recent years, the result of a volatile mix of social, political, and economic factors. Worsening racial tensions can be traced to "hypersegregation" and polarization, poverty, homelessness, family breakdown, and failure of the education system.…

The health care crisis faced by African Americans must be addressed by the nation as a whole with the same energy that erupts when a natural disaster occurs. On an individual basis, blacks can improve their own health with attention to child nurturing and personal nutrition. (SLD)

More than 25 percent of those who have the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) virus are African American, and, in large urban areas, the disease is a leading cause of death, especially among black women. AIDS education is vital to supplement health care efforts in the black community. (SLD)

True self-esteem for black children must mean more than teaching them to feel good about themselves. It must be based on an understanding that self-respect is earned through effort. Unrealistic self-esteem can impair the ability to improve one's life. (SLD)

Factors contributing to the gap between white health status and black health status include the following: (1) a lack of culturally sensitive health information; (2) denial by blacks of early warning signs of disease; (3) delays by blacks in seeking care; and (4) decreased access of blacks to high quality health care. (SLD)

Explores violence and weapon use among high school students. Both are on the increase. Schools have a responsibility to stop the overflow of street crime into the schools, but they cannot accomplish this without the help of parents. Parents must learn how to teach their children alternatives to violence. (SLD)