Person of color
Encyclopedia
Person of color is a term used, primarily in the United States
, to describe all people who are not white
. The term is meant to be inclusive among non-white groups, emphasizing common experiences of racism
. People of color was introduced as a preferable replacement to both non-white and minority
, which are also inclusive, because it frames the subject positively; non-white defines people in terms of what they are not (white), and minority frequently carries a subordinate connotation. Style guides for writing from American Heritage, the Stanford Graduate School of Business
, Mount Holyoke College
, recommend the term over these alternatives. It may also be used with other collective categories of people such as students of color or women of color.
The untranslated English term has also seen some limited usage among Germans of color, especially when stressing the postcolonial perspective, but so far has not found entrance into general German language and is not necessarily known by the general populace. Pessoa de cor (ˌdʒi ˈkoʁ), mulher de cor, etc. are in common usage in Brazil, although it has a limited, mostly colloquial, usage. Nevertheless, most of Brazilians will understand it when referring to non-white persons.
in 1963, and other uses date to as early as 1793, people of color did not gain prominence for many years. Influenced by radical theorists like Frantz Fanon
, racial justice activists in the U.S. began to use the term people of color in the late 1970s and early 1980s. By the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was in wide circulation. Both anti-racist activists and academics sought to move understandings of race beyond the black-white binary then prevalent.
in the US. It acts as "a recognition that certain people are racialized" and serves to emphasize "the importance of coalition" by "making connections between the ways different 'people of color' are racialized." As Joseph Truman explains, the term people of color is attractive because it unites disparate racial and ethnic groups into a larger collective in solidarity with one another.
Furthermore, the term persons of color has been embraced and used to replace the term minority
because the term minority could, but not necessarily according to proper context, imply inferiority and disfranchisement. In addition, people of color constitute the majority population in certain US cities and across the globe.
However, some lighter-skinned people who do not identify as white, as well as lighter-skinned people who may be of mixed race, feel alienated by the term, feeling that it places too much emphasis on the color of a person's skin, and that skin color is not what determines
race or even ethnicity or heritage.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, to describe all people who are not white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
. The term is meant to be inclusive among non-white groups, emphasizing common experiences of racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
. People of color was introduced as a preferable replacement to both non-white and minority
Minority group
A minority is a sociological group within a demographic. The demographic could be based on many factors from ethnicity, gender, wealth, power, etc. The term extends to numerous situations, and civilizations within history, despite the misnomer of minorities associated with a numerical statistic...
, which are also inclusive, because it frames the subject positively; non-white defines people in terms of what they are not (white), and minority frequently carries a subordinate connotation. Style guides for writing from American Heritage, the Stanford Graduate School of Business
Stanford Graduate School of Business
The Stanford Graduate School of Business is one of the professional schools of Stanford University, in Stanford, California and is broadly regarded as one of the best business schools in the world.The Stanford GSB offers a general management Master of Business Administration degree, the Sloan...
, Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...
, recommend the term over these alternatives. It may also be used with other collective categories of people such as students of color or women of color.
The untranslated English term has also seen some limited usage among Germans of color, especially when stressing the postcolonial perspective, but so far has not found entrance into general German language and is not necessarily known by the general populace. Pessoa de cor (ˌdʒi ˈkoʁ), mulher de cor, etc. are in common usage in Brazil, although it has a limited, mostly colloquial, usage. Nevertheless, most of Brazilians will understand it when referring to non-white persons.
History
Although the term citizens of color was used by Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
in 1963, and other uses date to as early as 1793, people of color did not gain prominence for many years. Influenced by radical theorists like Frantz Fanon
Frantz Fanon
Frantz Fanon was a Martiniquo-Algerian psychiatrist, philosopher, revolutionary and writer whose work is influential in the fields of post-colonial studies, critical theory and Marxism...
, racial justice activists in the U.S. began to use the term people of color in the late 1970s and early 1980s. By the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was in wide circulation. Both anti-racist activists and academics sought to move understandings of race beyond the black-white binary then prevalent.
Political significance
According to Stephen Saris, in the United States there are two big racial divides. "First, there is the black-white kind, which is basically anti-black". The second racial divide is the one "between whites and everyone else" with whites being "narrowly construed" and everyone else being called "people of color". Because the term people of color includes vastly different people with only the common distinction of not being white, it draws attention to the fundamental role of racializationRacialization
Racialization refers to processes of the discursive production of racial identities. It signifies the extension of dehumanizing and racial meanings to a previously racially unclassified relationship, social practice, or group...
in the US. It acts as "a recognition that certain people are racialized" and serves to emphasize "the importance of coalition" by "making connections between the ways different 'people of color' are racialized." As Joseph Truman explains, the term people of color is attractive because it unites disparate racial and ethnic groups into a larger collective in solidarity with one another.
Furthermore, the term persons of color has been embraced and used to replace the term minority
Minority group
A minority is a sociological group within a demographic. The demographic could be based on many factors from ethnicity, gender, wealth, power, etc. The term extends to numerous situations, and civilizations within history, despite the misnomer of minorities associated with a numerical statistic...
because the term minority could, but not necessarily according to proper context, imply inferiority and disfranchisement. In addition, people of color constitute the majority population in certain US cities and across the globe.
However, some lighter-skinned people who do not identify as white, as well as lighter-skinned people who may be of mixed race, feel alienated by the term, feeling that it places too much emphasis on the color of a person's skin, and that skin color is not what determines
race or even ethnicity or heritage.