Social Welfare History Project awcampbell

Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World

Founded in 1898 in Cincinnati, Ohio, by Arthur J. Riggs (1855-1936) and Benjamin Franklin Howard (1860-1918), the Improved Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World (I.B.P.O.E.W) is an African American fraternal organization that supports its members and fights for their social, economic, and civic equality. Fraternal organizations provided unmeasurable aid, both financial and social, to their members throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Historical Black fraternal organizations were especially vital in providing access to services and opportunities withheld from African Americans in American society.

Social Work in Divisive Times: Navigating Dual Roles Across Eras and Movements

Social work is often celebrated for its commitment to social justice, aiding vulnerable populations, and driving societal change. Yet, this narrative too frequently fails to grapple with the darker elements of the profession’s past—namely, the instances where it has caused harm to those it intended to help. Throughout its history, social work has not only offered support and advocacy but has also, at times, played a role in perpetuating injustices and societal harms.

Harty, Justin, Ph.D.

Justin Harty, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at Arizona State University’s School of Social Work. He earned his doctorate at the University of Chicago and holds dual bachelor’s degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Illinois at Chicago. With a background as a licensed…

Jean E. Lokerson (1937-2016)

Jean E. Lokerson, Ph.D. was an influential educator who devoted her life to the field of learning disabilities. Lokerson began her career in the 1960s, at a critical moment in the disability rights movement in the US. She became deeply involved in multiple organizations lobbying for improved education for children with learning disabilities.

Elderly Homeless Crisis: History and Origins

The growing number of elderly persons experiencing homelessness requires an extensive overhaul of the welfare systems originally designed to assist houseless individuals. Elderly persons are more likely to need medical assistance, supportive housing, and disability assistance, services that the U.S. government is straining to accommodate.

Eifert, Madelena

Madelena Eifert holds a Masters in Public Health (M.P.H.) with a focus on epidemiological methods and research.

Reciprocal Aid: Fraternalism and Early Social Welfare History

By Sarah Shepherd. Fraternalism fulfilled a crucial role in society. It was a social club as well as an early form of social welfare through the principle of reciprocal aid.

Bukach, Nadia

Nadia Bukach is a clinical M.S.W. student at Virginia Commonwealth University and the Mellon Foundation Social Welfare History Graduate Fellow at VCU Libraries. She earned her B.A. in Geography from the University of Richmond in 2010, and a certificate in massage therapy in 2012. She served as GIS technician at the University of Richmond’s Geospatial…

Josephine Newbury Demonstration Kindergarten, Richmond, Va.

Before the Newbury Center opened in 1957, there was no education available in a school setting in Richmond or the surrounding counties for children younger than five. Preschool itself was an innovative concept then. The facility was purpose-built to become a model preschool for the training of teachers and the design of innovative curriculum.

Ora Brown Stokes and the Richmond Neighborhood Association

Ora Brown Stokes founded and was the driving force behind the Richmond Neighborhood Association (RNA), an organization which has received little attention despite its centrality to social welfare work among Richmond’s African Americans between 1912 and 1924, particularly among children and young women.