A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                    Contact:  Kathryn Kahler    May 26, 1994                                       (202) 401-3026

STATEMENT OF U.S. SECRETARY OF EDUCATION RICHARD W. RILEY CONCERNING THE FINDING OF THE POLL COMMISSIONED BY THE BLACK COMMUNITY CRUSADE FOR CHILDREN AND THE CHILDREN'S DEFENSE FUND

I am deeply disturbed and saddened by the results of this poll commissioned by the Black Community Crusade for Children and the Children's Defense Fund. The findings that black adult Americans have a pervasive fear for their children about the effects of violence, drugs and racial prejudice are a concern that can ultimately interfere with the younger generation's ability to succeed in our society and to become fully a part of our national community.

At the same time, I am heartened by other findings in this study. The poll indicates that 83 percent of black children named one or both of their parents as heroes in their lives. This is a valuable resource that needs to be tapped.

We know that parents are their children's first and most important teachers, and that they offer the greatest opportunity to improve their children's outlook and environment. The results of this study indicate an opportunity to develop this resource, to reconnect children and adults, and to restore the possibility of the American Dream to the young people of today.

If there is one underlying problem in our society that touches on each of the fears outlined in this survey, it is the disconnection between adult America and the children of America that demands our attention and that calls upon us to find new ways to give parents and families the support they need to help their children grow.

Even as this survey indicates black Americans' discouragement about the future, it also reveals optimism among black youth and an implicit call for action to remedy these problems. We can and we must harness the energy and the hopefulness of these young people to work for policies that change and improve the condition of African Americans so these negative perceptions no longer have any basis in reality.

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