2.2 Understanding the Historical Context of Human Services in the United States
2.2 Understanding the Historical Context of Human Services in the United States
To understand the history of human services and social work in the United States, it is important to place it in the context of the settlement and colonization of the states from the 1500s into the twentieth century. Many textbooks focus on the innovations of early White activists and social service providers without acknowledging the White supremacist practices that harmed Indigenous and Black individuals and families. Focusing on the accomplishments of White people and groups, and excluding BIPOC strengths and accomplishments, is known as “whitewashing.”
As the dominant racial-ethnic group, White European Americans enforced laws and practices that harmed Black and Indigenous families. At the same time, they maintained the power position of being the only ones to solve these family problems, which had been created through White dominance. Specifically, they used aggressive tactics to dislocate Native American communities and to remove children from their homes to be sent to boarding schools, all of which disrupted family ties. The intentional enslavement of Black people from Africa and the ways in which Black families were separated (married and partnered couples broken up, children removed from their biological families) caused great harm to family and community relationships. Once we acknowledge these actions, the responses of White activists can be seen in a different light. Perhaps they would not have been needed at all, or certainly not as much.
As you read this chapter, you may confront some uncomfortable or painful feelings. If you are a member of a group that was affected negatively by White dominant actions, it may be a relief to see those actions acknowledged as a contributing factor to the need for the human services and social work fields. Or it may add to pain and trauma that you and your ancestors have experienced. If you are a White person, it may be tempting to deny the past and its effects on the present. You may experience what is called “White fragility,” a concept that explains how and why White people are sensitive, uncomfortable, or defensive when confronting information about racial inequality, White dominance, and injustice (DiAngelo, 2018). You may be someone who relates to multiple ethnicities, racial identities, and conflicting feelings. With any feelings that you experience, you are not alone. Pay attention to your feelings and reflect on your responses, but keep reading.
This chapter will include White leaders who influenced the formalization of social services, and it will focus on the ways that Black, Indigenous, and people of color actually innovated and created caring practices and services that heavily influenced human services in the past and today. By examining cultural practices, this chapter attempts to resist and repair the damages caused by White supremacist ideology.
Why History Matters
History is used as a teaching tool to he