An examination of the volunteer efforts of black clubwomen in the National Association of Colored Women from 1896 to 1936. It explores how their work influenced the impact and direction of social services in black communities in the USA, especially during the Progressive Era.

The pioneer clubwomen of this time period established successful social service programs and agencies, and laid the foundation for opportunities and assistance in education, political and religious leadership, and social service within the African American community. Social services established by the clubwomen, such as travelers' aid, job training and placement, settlement houses, child and family welfare services, and preventive health care services, provided the foundation for the Urban League and the emergence of professional black social workers. The first black school of social work, the Atlanta School of Social Work, was a direct outgrowth of the activities of the Neighborhood Union Settlement.

-- Preface -- Introduction -- Black Women and Social Action: A Historical Perspective -- African American Women Organize to Ameliorate Social Conditions -- Club Women and Social Housekeeping in the South Social Settlements and School Settlements -- Black Bourgeoisie in the Slums or Helping Women: Paradigms of Black Settlement Houses in the North and Midwest -- The National Urban League and the Professionalization of Black Social Workers -- A New Image: From the New Negro Woman to the New Deal -- Epilogue -- Manuscript Collections