So What Now?

Goooood question.

I had originally intended my previous post to be a two-parter, but as I began my research for it I realized that was not going to end up being what happened. This post is going to be about what my future plans are for this blog, and my research on this topic.

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In the Beginning

     When I first started researching the history of Black social work, I went into it knowing there would not be many resources from which I could draw information. This was not a surprise to me, as the Black history of pretty much anything is usually pretty under-researched. I had also been warned by one of my social work professors that this would be the case. So I would say I started researching this topic with a pretty good idea of what I would find. I had originally planned to make a poster about some of the major pioneers of Black social work and social justice and that research later became the basis for my first post. Then I thought that a blog would be a great vehicle for sharing the information I found with others that were interested in this topic. However, as the semester drew to a close and I reflected on the work I had completed, I felt that I had not done the topic justice. I felt that I had barely scratched the surface of what the history of Black social work really entailed. This was when the first doubts of continuing the blog after the end of the semester first appeared.

Disappointment

     My decision about what to do with the blog was set in stone as I began my research for my most recent post. I had known that the Black history of social work was not going to be a tale of sunshine and rainbows, but I was still surprised by the material that I was reading. I as read the literature, my heart began to break. Why? Because the very people I had spent this entire school year admiring for their devotion to advocating for justice and equality for all were, in fact, advocating for justice and equality for all....as long the people in question were White. 
     I know enough about our country's history with racism and oppression to know what life was like for Blacks living in the early 20th century. What I did not know is that the very people at the forefront of social reform in those days were just as likely to oppress Blacks, to see them as lesser people, to believe in segregation of races, and to even take their services elsewhere when confronted with an influx of Blacks into their neighborhoods. I had a hard time finishing my research on this topic once this became apparent, but I finished it nonetheless.

My Decision

     I am going to be deleting the blog after the semester is over. While it was a great starting point for me to began to research the subject of the history of Black social work, I think I can tell a better story. I also think I need to dig deeper into the literature, even if that means reading articles from well over 100 years ago. My research has shown me how little I know about this subject and it has also shown me that this is due to a lack of effort on the part of social work scholars to tell this part of the story. While I do not see myself writing a book on the subject or anything, I think I owe those who came before me the chance to have their stories told. So I am going to find those stories as well as a way to tell them. A blog may be the method I chose in the end or maybe it will be a paper of some sort. Only time will tell, I suppose. What I do know is that this story is bigger than I realized and might be too big for this particular blog.

Farewell

     So with that, I will say good-bye and thank you. Thank you to those that read my blog and especially to those that took the time to comment. I appreciate the desire others have to learn more about this important part of social work history and I hope to be able to tell you an even better story in the future.

     

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If you feel so inclined, please leave a comment letting me know what types of things I should make sure to include in my research. What questions has this blog left you with? What answers do you hope I will find? Where do you think this story needs to go?

Thanks again, all. I wish you all the best in the future.