History of Macro Practice
To be perfectly honest, when asked about the history of macro practice, there is not much that pops into my mind immediately. I am a big fan of American History, I enjoy reading and learning about the people and personaliaties of these historic people, however it has never been focused much on policies or social programs. Then when I started to think back, now with a the focus of this assignment, I began to recall some things that could be relevant. The only issue with the recollections from my memory, is there causes were never framed as "social work" to me. Groups like the Black Panthers during the civil rights movement, while there actions were radical they were parallel to the work of macro social workers, social change. While this may be a terrible analogy, for some reason it was the boldest thought that came to mind when I thought about social change. Being that I do not believe The Black Panther Party would exactly fit the assignment, due to the fact that their social programs were overshadowed by crime and violence, I was forced to further research.
Helping out the less fortunate has always been an admirable trait. Regardless of religion, spirituality, race, or ethnicity, it is noble to help the helpless. There is something inside every human being, that urges them assist. I would be willing to bet that even in the cases of those people who decide not to help, they feel guilty and remorseful when they do not. The interesting (and somewhat exhausting) fact about social problems, is they have always been around and sadly probably always will be. Therefor it is hard to exactly pinpoint the first forms of Macro Social Work. The difficult separation, for me, was between charity and social work (I had to make a cut off somewhere). Because charity has been an institution for as long as written history can remember. This charity was usually initiated by religious organizations. Churches have always promoted help for the sick and impoverished. The point where things started to change was when these groups began seeing issues from a different perspective, rather than just feeding the poor they started to think bigger. It was the early writings of people such as Sir Thomas More that sparked change in people's thinking. More's Utopia, described a world free of problems, saved by the generosity and balance of society. More's words traveled across cultures, influencing the masses wherever it was heard, leading to social reform. Under pressure from citizens of the world "Poor Laws" began to become a reality in many countries, even traveling right here to the United States. It was the drafting of these ideas that would go on to inspire social pioneers from Jane Addams (Hull House) to W.E.B. Dubois (NAACP).
I guess what I am trying to get at is that social reform had been evolving since day one. In the beginning, social problems would be identified, then treated. After years of continued struggle, professionals learned that in order to best serve these disadvantaged people, they needed to start being proactive. Rather than sitting around, waiting for problems to arise, they needed to be proactive.
A major issue that has plagued the world, and unfortunately still does, is racism. With a focus on this country, racism has been a piercing social problem since the first slaves landed here in the 1600's. Used as slaves, beaten down and tortured, and to this day, still not viewed as equal in the eyes of some. W.E.B. Dubois, realizing the magnitude of this problem after very intense rioting and lynchings, set out to protect the rights of African Americans. Along with a colleagues Mary White Ovington, Ida B. Wells, and Henry Moskowitz, they founded the NAACP. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People set out to end racial discrimination. Since its inception, the NAACP has played a vital role in the continued social advancement of African-American citizens. Unfortunately there is still work to be done.
I guess what I am trying to get at is that social reform had been evolving since day one. In the beginning, social problems would be identified, then treated. After years of continued struggle, professionals learned that in order to best serve these disadvantaged people, they needed to start being proactive. Rather than sitting around, waiting for problems to arise, they needed to be proactive.
A major issue that has plagued the world, and unfortunately still does, is racism. With a focus on this country, racism has been a piercing social problem since the first slaves landed here in the 1600's. Used as slaves, beaten down and tortured, and to this day, still not viewed as equal in the eyes of some. W.E.B. Dubois, realizing the magnitude of this problem after very intense rioting and lynchings, set out to protect the rights of African Americans. Along with a colleagues Mary White Ovington, Ida B. Wells, and Henry Moskowitz, they founded the NAACP. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People set out to end racial discrimination. Since its inception, the NAACP has played a vital role in the continued social advancement of African-American citizens. Unfortunately there is still work to be done.
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