Ohio State U.: John Glenn College of Public Affairs, United States
Scholars across disciplinary boundaries have examined the intersection of race and racialization. In doing so, they have stopped short of providing a robust theoretical framework within which to understand how, why, and in what ways the nonprofit sector, itself, is racialized. To address the need for such a theory, I propose what I call the racialized nonprofit industrial complex (RNIC) - a racialized social system that places organizations into separate categories on the basis of race. I argue these categories are largely defined by competing schemas that converge around organizational success metrics - areas thought to be race-neutral and central to any organization’s success - which produces a racialized outcome that negatively impacts the behaviors, practices, and outcomes of Black-led organizations. I conclude with a discussion of how the RNIC might vary by place and implications for further research.