people of color (POC) / BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color)
Last updatedWhat to know
POC and BIPOC are terms used as shorthand to describe nonwhite people; the latter is slightly more specific about which populations are included, but both have been criticized for their vagueness and how they can seem to flatten or erase differences among various groups.
As Andrea Plaid and Christopher MacDonald-Dennis explained in Newsweek in 2021, POC has its roots as a political term coined by activist groups. Though term “people of color” has existed for centuries, it gained prominence in the 1990s via activists who used it as a means to deliberately decenter whiteness. The phrase was an alternative to the then-popular terms “nonwhite” and “minorities,” which define racial groups in relation to white people. BIPOC is more recent, with the additional letters intending to counter the erasure of Black and Indigenous people’s experiences.
Critics say these terms are largely inadequate when discussing how inequities in the legal system, health care, education, and housing affect various racial and ethnic groups differently. Some find the term BIPOC especially confusing, as it can seem to imply that Black people are not people of color, and there is also some disagreement about what exactly BIPOC stands for (Black, Indigenous, and other people of color; Black, Indigenous, people of color). As with any identifier, following an individual’s preferences whenever possible, and being as specific as possible, ensures coverage reflects how a person self-identifies.
Additional resources
- What We Get Wrong About ‘People of Color’ (Wired)
- Who Counts as a Person of Color? (Inside Higher Ed)
Summary
People of color (POC) and BIPOC (which stands for Black, Indigenous, and people of color) are nonspecific terms used as shorthand to describe nonwhite people. The latter is slightly more specific about which populations are included, but both have been criticized for their vagueness and how they can seem to flatten or erase differences among various groups. As with any identifier, paying attention to an individual’s preferences whenever possible, and being as specific as possible, ensures coverage reflects how a person self-identifies.