Eugene Kinckle Jones : The National Urban League and Black Social Work, 1910-1940

A leading African American intellectual of the early twentieth century, Eugene Kinckle Jones (1885–1954) was instrumental in professionalizing black social work in America. In his role as executive secretary of the National Urban League, Jones worked closely with social reformers who advocated on behalf of African Americans and against racial discrimination in the United States. Coinciding with the Great Migration of African Americans to northern urban centers, Jones' activities on behalf of the Urban League included campaigning for equal hiring practices, advocating for the inclusion of black workers in labor unions, and promoting the importance of vocational training and social work for members of the black community. Drawing on rich interviews with Jones' colleagues and associates, as well as recently opened family and Urban League papers, the book freshly examines the growth of African American communities and the new roles played by social workers. In calling attention to the need for black social workers in the midst of the Great Migration, Jones and his colleagues sought to address problems stemming from race and class conflicts from within the community. This book blends the biography of a significant black leader with an in-depth discussion of the roles of black institutions and organizations to study the evolution of African American life immediately before the civil rights era. A leading African American intellectual, Eugene Kinckle Jones (1885–1954) was instrumental in professionalizing black social work in America. Jones used his position was executive secretary of the National Urban League to work with social reformers advocating on behalf of African Americans and against racial discrimination. He also led the Urban League's efforts at campaigning for equal hiring practices and the inclusion of black workers in labor unions, and promoted the importance of vocational training and social work. Drawing on interviews with Jones's colleagues and associates, as well as recently opened family and Urban League archives, Felix L. Armfield blends biography with an in-depth discussion of the roles of black institutions and organizations. The result is a work that offers new details on the growth of African American communities, the evolution of African American life, and the role of black social workers in the years before the civil rights era.| Cover Title Page Copyright Page Contents Acknowledgments Introduction 1. From Richmond to Ithaca Illustrations follow page 22 2. Building Alliances 3. An Era of National Conflict and Cooperation 4. Between New York and Washington 5. Changing of the Guard Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index back cover | "This important book rescues Eugene Kinckle Jones from relative historical obscurity and anchors his rightful place as a major black leader during the first half of the twentieth century."—Robert L. Harris Jr., coeditor of The Columbia Guide to African American History Since 1939 "Armfield weaves a narrative that teases out two major strands: the first reats the life and times of Eugene Kinckle Jones, an African American progressive reformer and social worker (among many things); the second, the history of American social work and Jones's quest for the inclusion of African Americans in that profession."— Indiana Magazine of History "A useful book that gives necessary attention to an undervalued figure. A worthwhile study of Jones and a valuable contribution to the history of the social work movement."— Social Service Review | Felix L. Armfield is a professor of history at Buffalo State College and the author of Black Life in West Central Illinois. A leading African American intellectual of the early twentieth century, Eugene Kinckle Jones (1885-1954) was instrumental in professionalizing black social work in America. In his role as executive secretary of the National Urban League, Jones worked closely with social reformers who advocated on behalf of African Americans and against racial discrimination in the United States. Coinciding with the Great Migration of African Americans to northern urban centres, Jones's activities on behalf of the Urban League included campaigning for equal hiring practices, advocating for the inclusion of black workers in labour unions, and promoting the importance of vocational training and social work for members of the black community. Drawing on rich interviews with Jones's colleagues and associates, as well as recently opened family and Urban League papers, Felix L. Armfield freshly examines the growth of African American communities and the new roles played by social workers. In calling attention to the need for black social workers in the midst of the Great Migration, Jones and his colleagues sought to address problems stemming from race and class conflicts from within the community. This book blends the biography of a significant black leader with an in-depth discussion of the roles of black institutions and organizations to study the evolution of African American life immediately before the civil rights era. The biography of an important agent for black social change in the early 20th century