What an incredible conversation! When I mention the details of the forced removal I find many are shocked. When I mention the role of social workers in this I am generally met with a confused look. Thank you so much for posting this! Enjoyed every word!
Thank you Dr. Park and Dr. Smith Brice for bringing this important conversation to light. Any perspective on historical social workers should take into account the professionalism of social work or the absence thereof. Formal university level social work education began in the early twentieth century and by mid century was established across the country but graduated a small number of professional social workers. It's likely that the majority of "social workers" employed at the county level were non-degreed social workers without formal social work education and unfamiliar with social work ethics. While the situation today is quite different with thousands of social work programs and a strong NASW Code of Ethics, the issues remain the same regarding how to fight an unjust system from within. Also, societal and cultural racism remains as strong as ever despite decades of civil rights work and education. The Academy's role in researching how to fight injustice and racism as well as teaching it to social workers is critical to making progress in these areas.
What an incredible conversation! When I mention the details of the forced removal I find many are shocked. When I mention the role of social workers in this I am generally met with a confused look. Thank you so much for posting this! Enjoyed every word!
Thank you Dr. Park and Dr. Smith Brice for bringing this important conversation to light. Any perspective on historical social workers should take into account the professionalism of social work or the absence thereof. Formal university level social work education began in the early twentieth century and by mid century was established across the country but graduated a small number of professional social workers. It's likely that the majority of "social workers" employed at the county level were non-degreed social workers without formal social work education and unfamiliar with social work ethics. While the situation today is quite different with thousands of social work programs and a strong NASW Code of Ethics, the issues remain the same regarding how to fight an unjust system from within. Also, societal and cultural racism remains as strong as ever despite decades of civil rights work and education. The Academy's role in researching how to fight injustice and racism as well as teaching it to social workers is critical to making progress in these areas.