Experiences of Civic Participation Among Older African American and Latinx Immigrant Adults in the Context of an Ageist and Racist Society

Abstract

In the past 20 years, older adults’ civic participation has received considerable attention. Current literature shows that rates of voting and volunteering have been consistently lower among African Americans and Latinx older adults compared to White older adults. However, little research has explored civic participation in the context of historical structures of inequality that influence how Black and Latinx populations participate in civic life. I draw from an intersectional life course perspective and phenomenological methods to examine experiences of civic participation through participants’ lens. Findings draw our attention to how race/racism and age/ageism shape how, where, and with whom participants participate. Findings demonstrate how civic participation is embedded within systems of inequality that inform individual behavior as well as available opportunities for engagement. These findings call attention to the need to re-conceptualize and support civic participation that centers the experiences of historically ethnoracially oppressed populations.

A Mixed-Method Social Network Analysis of Low-Income Diverse Older Volunteers

“…Although both informal and formal volunteering can enhance older adults’ social capital (Gonzales and Nowell, 2017), most existing studies on diverse older adults have focused on their informal volunteering within their co-ethnic neighborhoods (Fukui and Menjívar, 2015; Gao-Miles, 2017; Zhou, 2017). Because of oppression and encounters with structural barriers, minoritized older adults often perceived their community participation to be less valued in the larger society than in their co-ethnic communities (Reyes, 2023; Serrat et al, 2020; Torres and Serrat, 2019). As a result, diverse older adults’ engagement in multicultural volunteering programs outside of their ethnic community is relatively scarce and understudied (Reyes, 2023; Serrat et al, 2020; Torres and Serrat, 2019).…”

“…Because of oppression and encounters with structural barriers, minoritized older adults often perceived their community participation to be less valued in the larger society than in their co-ethnic communities (Reyes, 2023; Serrat et al, 2020; Torres and Serrat, 2019). As a result, diverse older adults’ engagement in multicultural volunteering programs outside of their ethnic community is relatively scarce and understudied (Reyes, 2023; Serrat et al, 2020; Torres and Serrat, 2019). The limited information on the social interactions among different groups of low-income older immigrants and non-immigrants in a multicultural volunteer program can further reinforce the stereotypical assumption that minoritized older adults only socialize with people sharing similar cultural/ethnic identities.…”

“…Compared with informal volunteering programs available within ethnic enclaves and ethnoburbs, organized volunteering offers an opportunity for expanding social networks and building social capital for diverse older adults (Gonzales and Nowell, 2017). Even though expanding one’s social networks has been associated with more employment/economic opportunities and better access to health/community resources among marginalized communities (Claridge, 2018; Gonzales and Nowell, 2017; Lancee, 2010), diverse older adults’ participation in multicultural organized volunteering is often thwarted by logistic barriers (e.g., language differences, financial difficulties) (Tang et al, 2009; Withall et al, 2018) and stereotypical expectations imposed by structural racism and ageism (Calabrese Barton and Tan, 2020; Reyes, 2023). The stereotypical expectation that minoritized older adults socialize within their co-ethnic community can restrict where and with whom diverse older adults can engage and the resources they access (Reyes, 2023; Torres and Serrat, 2019).…”