The teaching of social work history and the inclusion of African American contributors: implications for social work educators

Research suggest that the perspectives of African Americans have been excluded from discussions of the historical development of social work. The purpose of this study was to analyze the extent to which the teaching of social work history was inclusive of African American contributions to the profession. Results of this summative content analysis are consistent with previous research determining that diverse, specifically African American, social work history is underrepresented in social work education. It is imperative for social work curricula to employ an anti-racist approach, which is inherently multiperspective, to teaching how historical forces have shaped the profession.