The shadow of institutional racism on people of color's involvement in membership associations

Abstract

Membership associations are membership owned; they serve their members but play a critical role in the society. This study examines association membership and volunteering behaviors to identify differences in how people of color experience these organizations. Results detect continued barriers to engagement by people of color in terms of volunteering opportunities, and less so for joining these associations. People of color tend to engage in more activities but dedicate less time to these engagements, creating unbalanced results; yet they find more satisfaction from these engagements compared to their White counterparts. Associations themselves must continue to identify and remove barriers to fair participation rooted in racism.