New Release! Righteous Self Determination: The Black Social Work Movement in America by Dr. Patricia Reid-Merritt
Beginning with the explosive confrontation of a group of Black social workers at the 1968 San Francisco meeting of the National Conference on Social Welfare, and ending with a question on the impact of Barack Obama's election as Presidest of the United States, Reid-Merritt captures the birth and growth of the National Association of Black Social Workers.
“One of the challenges of pulling this book together is that there wasn’t a lot of documentation,” says Reid-Merritt, “they just didn’t keep a lot of records.” Compelled to conduct numerous interviews of founders, officers, and current members, she documents key turning points for the organization, the impact of the leadership, international impact, and the systemic changes to social work processes. She brings to life the tumultuous first election, the history-making election of a woman president, and the non-yielding position of the group against transracial adoption.
Righteous is a wonderful compliment to the Black Classic Press/Inprint Editions catalogue!
"This is an excellent work, well-conceived, well-presented and much-needed. It is a seminal contribution to our understanding the work and history of NABSW in the context and various currents of that transformative period we call the Sixties. An insightful and compelling narrative, it enriches and expands the discourse and lays an important basis for future studies."
Dr. Maulana Karenga, Professor
Department of Africana Studies
California State University, Long Beach
"An important narrative on the emergence of the National Association of Black Social Workers, the reason for its existence, and the need for Black Social Work activism. A must read for current and future social workers."
Judith D. Jackson, President Emeritus NABSW, President/CEO, YouthVille Detroit, Inc.
