This paper examines the past and current attitudes and practices toward hiring, retaining, and promoting African American faculty members, and explores suggestions and predictions pertaining to increased inclusion of African Americans on university and college faculties. It argues that the major problem resulting from the lack of African American faculty in universities and colleges is the impression it gives to African American youngsters, White youngsters, and African American and White university and college staff. Discussed are some of the reasons cited for this shortage of African American professors including institutional racism, failure of affirmative action policies, low numbers of African American Ph.Ds, declining emphasis on recruiting and retaining graduate minority students, and a discouraging employment outlook for new doctorate holders. The paper argues that the problem of increasing African American faculty in universities and colleges is acute; and that it is the role of the educational community to lead the way in preparing the nation, which will soon be more evenly divided among African Americans, Whites, and Latin Americans, into the 21st century. Contains 11 references. (GLR)