The general condition of black children is reported with a focus on maladaptive behaviors caused by being black in American society. Black youth are characterized as alienated, poor, poorly educated, and lacking safe housing. Government responses to the needs of these children are fraught with social barriers and bureaucracy. As in all institutional structures, social programs usually lose sight of their true mission. The contradictions that social institutions engender create a "catch 22" for blacks. Gains of the 1960s and 1970s have not eliminated injustices and inequalities. They have, however, weakened the black family. Solutions to these problems should include the following: (1) a redefined social agenda for blacks based on unity and self-determination; (2) the development of a socially supportive environment for nurturing black children; (3) a cultural revolution which establishes a black identity and value system. (VM)