Date of Award

6-28-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Department of Sociology and Anthropology: Sociology

First Advisor

Livia K. Stone

Abstract

In this thesis, I explore the lived experiences of alumni from City Year, an AmeriCorps education nonprofit dedicated to providing academic and social-emotional interventions to address social inequity in education in disadvantaged schools throughout the U.S. and abroad. Their thoughts and ideas reflect the complexities of working on a diverse team, serving students of color in a nonprofit organization that is limited in its ability to create structural change. Guided by an analysis of historic systems of oppression, whiteness, white saviorism, and the nonprofit industrial complex, I examine how the nonprofit sector operates as a shadow state that is restricted from taking action for structural change, designed to reinforce a neoliberal economic and political system that justifies disinvestment in social services. The lived experiences of racially diverse City Year alumni reflect the tensions between making the most of the service year while acknowledging the limitations of nonprofit work. This project demonstrates that racial identity has a major influence on the service experience and highlights the need for transparent and honest conversations in all aspects of City Year’s work and beyond.

Comments

Imported from ProQuest Ficsor_ilstu_0092N_11759.pdf

DOI

https://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2020.1604319241417

Page Count

169

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