Diversity as Philanthropy

Diversity Ideology among Pastors, Professors, and Professionals of Color

Bibliographic Data

ID2244966
AuthorsO F Okuwobi (0000-0002-0888-9401, University of Cincinnati, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume72
Issue2
Pages711-724
Publication date2025-05-16
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Problems (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0037-7791 • E-ISSN: 1533-8533
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/socpro/spae008
OpenAlexW4392140056
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited49

Examinations of diversity ideology have focused primarily on white people and institutions. As a result, there remains an open question as to the systems of meaning people of color may hold when it comes to diversity. In this article, I analyze 60 semi-structured interviews with employees of color across three organization types: churches, universities, and corporations. I find that employees of color hold a distinct diversity ideology marked by diversity as philanthropy. These employees give of their own time and resources for the collective uplift of constituents of color and use religious, experiential, and altruistic rationales to justify why they do so. Diversity as philanthropy serves as a racial project that upholds existing hierarchies by redistributing organizational power and resources to those who hold a surplus of it. This study has implications for the study of racial inequality and how it is reinforced within organizations through appeals to diversity

Diversity (politics) · Ideology · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Anthropology · Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics · Law · Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering · Religion, Society, and Development