Black educators must act to counter the national trend toward eliminating Afro-American study programs and to preserve these programs as a permanent part of the English literature curriculum. Administrators in predominantly white institutions must be led to understand the importance of black literature to the American experience. To accomplish this goal, black educators must be aware of the history of black studies courses. Although for a time it seemed as if Afro-American literature would be permanently incorporated into the English curriculum sequence, financial difficulties and the demand for practical courses have forced many humanities departments to eliminate all "nonessential" courses. In addition, many black educators have encountered negative experiences when forced to teach in areas other than Afro-American literature; when these teachers are squeezed out, they are seldom replaced. If black studies are to be promoted as a necessary, viable part of the English curriculum, black educators must (1) overcome their feeling of literary inferiority, (2) encourage black writers to publish works of the highest quality, (3) make administrators aware that black writers' works are as important as other American writing, (4) insist that black literature be taught by qualified faculty, and (5) make use of advancements in computer-assisted instruction. (JD)