History at the table: conflict in planning in a community in the rural American South.
This article is a case study of problems that emerged during the planning of an anti-poverty program in a community in the rural American South in the early 1990s. Issues of racism, sexism, and classism in the planning process are discussed as they are informed by the national welfare reform rhetoric of the time, a local context of historical and current White racism, and the historical and current identity positions of the local Black planners. The author argues that understanding local history is a vital component in planning and implementing social programs. The article offers an analysis of the deployment of power in the planning of social change projects that can be used to develop inclusive planning processes that are responsive to the needs of economically and socially oppressed populations.
Messinger
Lori
L
School of Social Welfare, University of Kansas, 1545 Lilac Lane, Laurence, KS 66044, USA. lorim@ku.edu
D001741:Black or African American; D006801:Humans; D011203:Poverty / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011209:Power, Psychological; D011287:Prejudice; D016730:Program Development; D011822:Race Relations; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012923:Social Class; D012933:Social Identification; D012939:Social Planning; D014481:United States; D035862:Vulnerable Populations / Q000208:ethnology; D044465:White People