person of color
Racialized community member
A person of color is someone who is not white—a member of a racial or ethnic minority group.
The term emerged as a more inclusive alternative to "minority" or specific racial labels, emphasizing shared experience of marginalization: The organization advocates for people of color in tech.
Often abbreviated POC.
The phrase intentionally centers nonwhite identity without privileging any particular group.
Natural coloring compound
- pigmentationNatural tissue coloring
- complexionSkin tone, appearance
- skin toneBody's surface coloration
- colorismBias based on complexion
racialization · multiracial · biracial · BIPOC · ancestry · phenotype · racial identity · passing
Of a cultural group
- AfrocentricEmphasizing African cultural viewpoint
- IndigenousOriginal inhabitants of land
- AsianOf the largest continent
- LatinoLatin American by heritage
Latinx · African · Caribbean · Polynesian · Aboriginal · Native · Chicano · Chicana
Insufficiently present in proportion
- disadvantagedLacking social or economic resources
- systemicAffecting an entire structure
- oppressionUnjust exercise of power
- inequalityUnequal distribution of resources
exclusion · segregation · discrimination · disparity · barriers · disenfranchisement · erasure · othering
Inherited cultural legacy
- ancestryFamily line of descent
- rootsUnderground nutrient absorbers
- selfhoodIndividual identity, personhood
- belongingState of fitting in
community · culture · self-identification · authenticity · narrative · perspective · voice · lived experience
Impartial treatment or ownership value
- representationDepiction or likeness
- diversityState of varied elements
- belongingState of fitting in
- allyshipActive support for marginalized
solidarity · empowerment · accessibility · affirmative action · inclusion · justice · fairness · advocacy
melanin
Natural coloring compound
- pigmentationNatural tissue coloring
- complexionSkin tone, appearance
- skin toneBody's surface coloration
colorism · racialization · multiracial · biracial · BIPOC · ancestry · phenotype · racial identity · passing · code-switching
ethnic
Of a cultural group
- AfrocentricEmphasizing African cultural viewpoint
- IndigenousOriginal inhabitants of land
- AsianOf the largest continent
Latino · Latinx · African · Caribbean · Polynesian · Aboriginal · Native · Chicano · Chicana · South Asian
underrepresented
Insufficiently present in proportion
- disadvantagedLacking social or economic resources
- systemicAffecting an entire structure
- oppressionUnjust exercise of power
inequality · exclusion · segregation · discrimination · disparity · barriers · disenfranchisement · erasure · othering · tokenism
heritage
Inherited cultural legacy
- ancestryFamily line of descent
- rootsUnderground nutrient absorbers
- selfhoodIndividual identity, personhood
belonging · community · culture · self-identification · authenticity · narrative · perspective · voice · lived experience · representation
equity
Impartial treatment or ownership value
- representationDepiction or likeness
- diversityState of varied elements
- belongingState of fitting in
allyship · solidarity · empowerment · accessibility · affirmative action · inclusion · justice · fairness · advocacy · amplification
- racerace, racial identity, racial classification, ethnicity, biracial
- inclusive languagegender-neutral, they/them, singular they, preferred pronouns, pronouns
person of colorwhite
Absence of pigment
white people · Caucasian · European American · Anglo · WASP
color, people, person, personal, colors, colorful, colored, coloring, personality