Remembering African American Social Workers
During Social Work Month
By Christine James, MSW and DuWayne Battle, PhD, MSW
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” –Frederick Douglass
Black History Month has ended, and Social Work Month is upon
us. Still, this is a good time to recall the contributions of African
American social workers to our profession. Ask yourself if you
know the history of social work as told through the eyes and
accomplishments of African American social workers and social
reformers. Most of us know our professional roots and history
tracing back to Jane Addams. But do you know the stories and
histories of these individuals who made a difference in the
profession of social work and beyond? What follows are a series of
snapshots and excerpts from our rich social work history:
Absalom Jones – 1746 – was a slave who purchased freedom for
his wife and himself. He founded the Free African Society,
America’s first formally organized social welfare association run
by blacks.
Mathilda Taylor Beasley – 1834 – was born into slavery.
However, she overcame her plight and gave back to her community
in her state of Georgia. She opened the first orphanage there for
African American girls in 1859.
Ida B. Wells-Barnett – 1862 – was a noted social reformer
committed to abolishing lynching through public awareness. She
successfully worked with Jane Addams to block segregation of
Chicago’s public schools. She also founded safe urban houses for
black men searching for employment modeled after settlement
house efforts.
Sarah Collins Fernandis – 1863 – founded the first African
American social settlement house in Washington, D.C. She was the
first African American employed in a public welfare agency in
Maryland. Her campaigns in Baltimore brought settlement houses,
trash removal, and milk to African American communities.
Throughout her career, she worked to improve the conditions of
African Americans. She was one of the organizers of the
Interracial, Interfaith Association. She was also instrumental in
organizing the Henryton State Hospital as a sanatorium for African
American tuberculosis patients. She spent her career organizing
Joy Joy shakes me like the wind that lifts a sail, Like the roistering wind That laughs through stalwart pines. It floods me like the sun On rain­drenched trees that flash with silver and green, I abandon myself to joy – I laugh – I sing. Too long have I walked a desolate way, Too long stumbled down a maze bewildered. ~Clarissa Scott Delaney social welfare and public health activities in segregated African American communities of the
period. She also organized the Women's Cooperative Civic League in Baltimore which worked
for improved sanitation and health conditions in African American neighborhoods. She became
the first African American social worker employed by the Baltimore Health Department in the
early 1900's.
Janie Porter Barrett – 1865 – founded the first settlement organization for African Americans
in the U.S. in 1890. She also worked in the state of Virginia with the Federation of Colored
Women’s Club to provide social services for children to avoid institutionalization and keep
African American delinquent girls out of jail.
Eartha Mary Magdalene White – 1876 – was the daughter of Clara White, whose mission in
Florida was feeding the poor. Eartha White turned her mother’s soup kitchen into an effective
social service agency. She also started a nursing home, Boys Club, halfway house, program for
released prisoners, and an orphanage.
George Edmund Haynes – 1880 – co-founded the National Urban League and was its first
Executive Director. He was also the husband of Elizabeth Ross Haynes, who is known for her
social reform and work with the YWCA.
1889 William Ashby – 1889 – was New Jersey’s first African American Social Worker. He
graduated from Yale University and worked in Newark to improve life for African Americans in
New Jersey. He devoted his life to social justice and ending racial discrimination
E. Franklin Frazier– 1894 – was a pioneer in advocating standards for social work and insisting
that social workers be properly trained. He is known for his work at Howard University, where a
research center is named after him. He studied and wrote about African American families.
Clarissa Scott Delaney – 1901 –was an educator, poet, and social worker. She taught at Dunbar
High School in Washington, DC and lived in New York after moving there with her husband.
She worked with the National Urban League and the Women’s City Club of New York. She also
helped to gather statistics about neglected African American children. Her poetry identified her
as a part of the Harlem Renaissance.
Dorothy Height– 1912 – was a noted Civil Rights activist who is known for bringing black and
white women together from the North and South to create a dialogue of understanding known as
“Wednesdays in Mississippi.” She is also known for her work with YWCA and the National
Council of Negro Women. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Clinton
in 1994 and the Congressional Gold Medal by President Bush in 2004.
Whitney Young– 1921 – was known for his work with the National Urban League. He was also
president of the National Association of Social Workers from 1969-1971. His plan incorporated
into President Johnson’s War on Poverty