The Impact of Ethnicity on Volunteerism in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Look at African-American and Euro-American Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

The logic of sending African-Americans to Sub-Saharan Africa is not based solely on the similarity of skin color between indigenous Africans, and Africans in the Diaspora. It emanates from a shared ethnic/cultural heritage, couched in the historical exploits of Euro-Americans from slavery to modern times. This study argued that there exists a unique relationship between African-Americans and Africans. That relationship was viewed in terms of ethnic similarities, or Africanisms, which Africans and African-Americans share. The unique relationship between the indigenous Africans, and ethnically similar volunteers is difficult to duplicate when the volunteers are not African-Americans. Consequently, ethnicity needs to be one of the considerations when selecting individuals to work as volunteers in international development.