TOWARDS ANTIRACIST FEMINIST ETHICS OF CARE: INTERROGATING WHITE APATHY IN WOMEN-LED ORGANIZATIONS

In this paper, I explore white apathy as an implementation barrier to organizational leaders enacting diversity, equity, and inclusion, and ask, how do whiteness and elitism influence the allocation of care in the workplace? Using critical discourse analysis (CDA) to understand the insights shared in interviews with Latina, Black, and White women CEOs of nonprofit organizations in the U.S., this paper highlights the intersectional ways in which white apathy derails the provision of care, is misaligned with the DEI values espoused in organizations, and perpetuates systemic gendered racism in organizations and society. I conclude with implications for research and practice.