Chapter 6: The Rewarding Nature of Studying Race/Ethnicity

As a social scientist, studying race/ethnicity at work is important and timely. Historical events such as the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, and the social and racial justice movements such as Black Lives Matter have brought diversity to the forefront of business and social discourse (Ruggs & Avery, 2021). These historical events have led many organizations to respond with messages of support and roughly $200 billion committed to efforts toward racial justice, such as lending and business development in minority communities (Fitzhugh et al., 2020). In hospitality and service contexts, which I often use as a setting for my research, race/ ethnicity is an important issue given that the hospitality industry is one of the most labor-intensive and human capital-depended industries (Madera, 2013; Singal, 2015). As a result, diversity, equality, and inclusion play important roles as the industry employs a diverse workforce and supports a diversity of stakeholders, such as customers, suppliers, and small-business owners operating franchises (Manoharan et al., 2021).