1898-1998 100 Years of Professional Social Work Jane Addams 1860-1935 "100 Years of Social Work" Portrayed by Elizabeth Hartley

I am honored to open your commemorative celebration -- 100 years of professional social work. My name is Jane Addams. I am often called the "mother" of the social work profession. You know me. My life was a demonstration of the ethics and values that became the basis of this 100-year-old social work profession.

In 1889, the doors of Hull-House opened on Chicago’s west side. I did not know the important place it would have in history. I only knew I was privileged.

My father, a state senator in Illinois, a Quaker and abolitionist, taught me what was right, just, and fair.

I was educated in Philadelphia and Europe. In London, I visited Toynbee Hall, the first settlement house, and was inspired to bring this concept home to the United States.

When Ellen Gates Star and I opened the doors to Hull-House we were determined to do things in a new and different way -- working to help people help themselves - preserving dignity.

We had children’s clubs, nurseries, a library, an employment bureau, a lunchroom, and classes in history, music, language, painting, dancing, and mathematics.

But Hull-House was more than clubs and classes. Ellen and I - and other Hull House residents, including Julia Lathrop, Florence Kelley, John Dewey, Alice Hamilton and Edith & Grace Abbott, "settled in" to the neighborhood - living among the people. We wanted to better understand the poor -- and wanted to change what we believed were gross and unjust differences in the opportunities between the rich - and the poor.

Hull-House was a living room for the community, Hull-House worked, Hull-House inspired other settlements. And so the American Settlement House Movement was born.

Attitudes and policies of the old charity organizations changed - and so the character of friendly visiting also changed. A systematic, scientific and objective approach was developed - and with it the beginnings of our profession.

Classes sprang up in the summer of 1898 at the New York Summer School for Applied Philanthropy (which later became part of Columbia University), and at Simmons College in Massachusetts and the University of Chicago, in Illinois.

Soon volunteer visitors and charity workers of the 1880s became the professional social workers of the 1890s. And social work was born.

Today I join with you to commemorate the contributions of all social workers - our everyday heroes. Everyday heroes and heroines who do their jobs -- daily touching lives, reaching out to help the young and the old. Building bridges to teens, guiding parents, counseling, empowering, teaching, and advocating for a more fair and just world. You, and those who have gone before you, have shaped our first 100 years.

I am proud to join in recognizing "our" social work accomplishments.

Where there was once a few - now there are many social work education programs. Today, social work research has produced the knowledge needed for effective social change.

We protect consumers from unethical practices with the most extensive Code of Ethics of any profession - And through state licensure and legal regulation.

Our organization is strong - created to promote, develop and protect the practice of social work and social workers. Our commitment is broader than self and we work to enhance the well-being of individuals, families and communities.

100 years of rich history laid a firm foundation for the future. As you begin the next stage of our journey - remember you are not alone. We who came before you will go with you into the future.

My name is Jane Addams - I am one of you.

Like you - I opened my eyes and saw what was around me.

I was shamed that my civilization denied so many people dignity and allowed others to be sick, and hungry, and poor.

I considered the world my home and persistently worked for peace. Some called me a hero and gave me a heroes medal - the 1931 Nobel Peace Prize. The medal is not mine alone, but belongs to all of us who organized the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. We left our medal as an inspiration for all social workers - there - just behind you on the Mall in the Museum of American History.

Join me in claiming our heritage. Join me in celebrating our present. Join me in a journey to the future where we "settle in" to the world neighborhood. Join me - there is hope to be born.