{"id":86529,"date":"2020-10-08T11:01:16","date_gmt":"2020-10-08T18:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yesmagazine.org\/?post_type=article&p=86529"},"modified":"2020-10-08T11:01:18","modified_gmt":"2020-10-08T18:01:18","slug":"poc-bipoc-or-neither","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.yesmagazine.org\/social-justice\/2020\/10\/08\/poc-bipoc-or-neither","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s the Right Term: POC, BIPOC, or Neither?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Language is alive, and like any living thing, it changes with time. Enter the debate around the phrase \u201cpeople of color\u201d or POC, which some have begun to argue against<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To better understand how people relate to POC versus BIPOC<\/u><\/a>, NPR\u2019s \u201cCode Switch\u201d<\/u><\/a> podcast shared listeners\u2019 thoughts on the show and online<\/u><\/a> Wednesday (Sept. 30) in the episode, \u201cIs It Time To Say R.I.P. To \u2018P.O.C.\u2019?<\/u><\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To begin with, the language that Black people have used to self-identify over the decades has changed. For example, Malcolm X<\/u><\/a> started using \u201cAfro-American<\/a>\u201d interchangeably with Black. And now there\u2019s the more recent introduction of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color). Last year, activist Seren Sensei<\/u><\/a> wrote in a blog post<\/a> that \u201cBlack is not<\/em> synonymous with POC: all Black people are persons of color, but all persons of color are not<\/em> Black. And non-Black persons of color, or NBPOC, still benefit from and can practice anti-Black racism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With these thoughts in mind, the \u201cCode Switch\u201d crew, hosts Shereen Marisol Meraji<\/u><\/a> and Gene Demby<\/u><\/a>, asked listeners whether it was time to retire POC for BIPOC, or best to avoid them all. See some of the highlights below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

POC = us:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI like POC because it evokes an image of us<\/em>, unlike the terms non-White or minority, where whiteness is front and center.\u201d  \u2014 Javier Pineda, age 35 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not all POC are the same:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m Egyptian American. Whenever asked about my ethnicity, I would always just say \u2018Egyptian American,\u2019 sometimes Arab American. As a White Egyptian, I\u2019ve never experienced the same oppression in the U.S. that other people of color have. \u2026 However, when placed in contrast to whiteness, it sort of creates this impression that anyone who is non-White is just under the same umbrella and is a monolith, which is very problematic.\u201d \u2014 Dina Shalash, 37<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When White people use it, it\u2019s weird:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI liken the term \u2026 to mean solidarity among our collective experiences as non-White, especially our experiences as non-White in the United States. There\u2019s obviously a lot of variation within those experiences. I just wish these terms were used more often to mean this coalition and not as a euphemism, like the way \u201cdiverse\u201d is often used, especially by White people who don\u2019t want to say Black.\u201d \u2014 Maricela Gonzelez, 29 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

BIPOC, instead? Meh:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSurprisingly, I actually do hate BIPOC. Originally, I thought it referred to Black and Indigenous people of color, which I loved. But apparently it means Black, Indigenous and people of color, which is just a longer version of POC, but it makes White people feel like they did something different, even though I\u2019m sure it has origins with non-White folks. Yeah. Oh, well.\u201d \u2014 Kaylee Arnold, 29<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So just use Black, thank you:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel that the term POC is nonsense, and I think it\u2019s a way for non-Black people to sit comfortably in their anti-Blackness because they\u2019re so afraid to say Black. So they come up with these terms that make them feel comfortable, with their whiteness or their adjacency to whiteness. And I get irritated\u2014not irritated, vexed\u2014when people refer to me as POC or BIPOC. Like, no, absolutely not. I\u2019m Black, don\u2019t play me.\u201d \u2014 Christine Harris, 21<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To listen to the full episode<\/a>, click below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n