Nonprofit Organizations and Discrimination

Synonyms

Citizen participation and engagement; Cultural competence; Discrimination; Social justice

Definition

Institutional racism: the collective failure of an organization to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their color, culture, or ethnic origin. It can be seen or detected in the processes, attitudes, and behaviors, which amount to discriminatory outcomes. Institutional racism may occur through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness, and racist deeds (despite intent). This conduct often results in stereotyping and consistently disadvantages minority ethnic people.

Introduction

Nonprofits represent the “third” or voluntary sector in society. In this role they fill a gap in service delivery left vacant by public and private entities. These gaps are often left in underserved areas. For example, budget cuts in under-resourced communities have resulted in nonprofit organizations offering assistance with health and childcare, recreation, and...