Is BIPOC the new term to use? What happened to just POC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m confused too. Does this mean black, indigenous people of color, or black, indigenous, AND people of color? As an Asian-American, I assume I’m included in the second but not in the first. I’ve googled and the first two results seem to indicate different things.

I think it is supposed to mean black indigenous people of color as a way of separating them from other “POC” but what that actually means I am not sure. Googling hasn’t cleared it up for me either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I remember when it was preferred to refer to folks as black. Then it was changed to african-american. Than, apparently, we went to black again. I guess BIPOC is the latest iteration.

I'm happy to call people whatever they prefer, but if wish folks would settle on one term.

Quite honestly, I’m fairly young and try to keep up, but it is hard. Same with the LatinX thing.

I literally do not know a single Latino in my very large Latino community that likes or used latinx.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m confused too. Does this mean black, indigenous people of color, or black, indigenous, AND people of color? As an Asian-American, I assume I’m included in the second but not in the first. I’ve googled and the first two results seem to indicate different things.

I think it is supposed to mean black indigenous people of color as a way of separating them from other “POC” but what that actually means I am not sure. Googling hasn’t cleared it up for me either.

I was thinking BIPOC included Native American Indians but obviously they wouldn’t identify as “black.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I remember when it was preferred to refer to folks as black. Then it was changed to african-american. Than, apparently, we went to black again. I guess BIPOC is the latest iteration.

I'm happy to call people whatever they prefer, but if wish folks would settle on one term.

Quite honestly, I’m fairly young and try to keep up, but it is hard. Same with the LatinX thing.

I literally do not know a single Latino in my very large Latino community that likes or used latinx.

I think I know two people who use Latinx and they are both white.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I remember when it was preferred to refer to folks as black. Then it was changed to african-american. Than, apparently, we went to black again. I guess BIPOC is the latest iteration.

I'm happy to call people whatever they prefer, but if wish folks would settle on one term.

The way that we think and talk about race has always and will continue to evolve. Black people endured hundreds of years being defined by white people. Please allow us our nuance now.

What is the nuance though? Can’t you understand why it is confusing when there are different definitions all over?

It's confusing, to whom?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I believe it’s a way to refer to Black people in the context of their specific struggles, apart from the broader “POC” label, and also without defining them too narrowly/incorrectly as “African-Americans”.

Blacks change their political names every few years. Let’s see if this one sticks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m confused too. Does this mean black, indigenous people of color, or black, indigenous, AND people of color? As an Asian-American, I assume I’m included in the second but not in the first. I’ve googled and the first two results seem to indicate different things.

This is a definition I found on thebipocproject.org:

“ The BIPOC Project aims to build authentic and lasting solidarity among Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), in order to undo Native invisibility, anti-Blackness, dismantle white supremacy and advance racial justice.

“We use the term BIPOC to highlight the unique relationship to whiteness that Indigenous and Black (African Americans) people have, which shapes the experiences of and relationship to white supremacy for all people of color within a U.S. context. We unapologetically focus on and center relationships among BIPOC folks.”

So I think... Asians are included but the term “centers” black & indigenous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m confused too. Does this mean black, indigenous people of color, or black, indigenous, AND people of color? As an Asian-American, I assume I’m included in the second but not in the first. I’ve googled and the first two results seem to indicate different things.

I think it is supposed to mean black indigenous people of color as a way of separating them from other “POC” but what that actually means I am not sure. Googling hasn’t cleared it up for me either.

I was thinking BIPOC included Native American Indians but obviously they wouldn’t identify as “black.”

Yeah, for sure the indigenous part is confusing. BPOC is much easier to understand as a means of separation, but I am not sure if the idea is to distinguish (at least in the United States) between immigrant blacks and those who identify as African American.

[Anonymous]

LatinX sounds like paint or gloves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I remember when it was preferred to refer to folks as black. Then it was changed to african-american. Than, apparently, we went to black again. I guess BIPOC is the latest iteration.

I'm happy to call people whatever they prefer, but if wish folks would settle on one term.

The way that we think and talk about race has always and will continue to evolve. Black people endured hundreds of years being defined by white people. Please allow us our nuance now.

What is the nuance though? Can’t you understand why it is confusing when there are different definitions all over?

It's confusing, to whom?

Um, OP, me and all of the others asking?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I remember when it was preferred to refer to folks as black. Then it was changed to african-american. Than, apparently, we went to black again. I guess BIPOC is the latest iteration.

I'm happy to call people whatever they prefer, but if wish folks would settle on one term.

The way that we think and talk about race has always and will continue to evolve. Black people endured hundreds of years being defined by white people. Please allow us our nuance now.

What is the nuance though? Can’t you understand why it is confusing when there are different definitions all over?

Sure, I can understand why you'd find it confusing. Like a PP said, we don't all get in a room together and vote. Use what makes sense to you, and as your understanding evolves your language may as well. But just because you don't understand it, that doesn't mean kanguage shouldn't change or evolve as people try to be more accurate and inclusive. That isn't going to stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I remember when it was preferred to refer to folks as black. Then it was changed to african-american. Than, apparently, we went to black again. I guess BIPOC is the latest iteration.

I'm happy to call people whatever they prefer, but if wish folks would settle on one term.

The way that we think and talk about race has always and will continue to evolve. Black people endured hundreds of years being defined by white people. Please allow us our nuance now.

What is the nuance though? Can’t you understand why it is confusing when there are different definitions all over?

Sure, I can understand why you'd find it confusing. Like a PP said, we don't all get in a room together and vote. Use what makes sense to you, and as your understanding evolves your language may as well. But just because you don't understand it, that doesn't mean kanguage shouldn't change or evolve as people try to be more accurate and inclusive. That isn't going to stop.

Personally, I’ve never thought or said it shouldn’t evolve. But I have seen BIPOC used in what I believe to be a few different contexts and so was just curious (not OP but a PP). I can see now that based on the link above I was perhaps misreading and it does include Native Americans and other people of color.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I remember when it was preferred to refer to folks as black. Then it was changed to african-american. Than, apparently, we went to black again. I guess BIPOC is the latest iteration.

I'm happy to call people whatever they prefer, but if wish folks would settle on one term.

The way that we think and talk about race has always and will continue to evolve. Black people endured hundreds of years being defined by white people. Please allow us our nuance now.

What is the nuance though? Can’t you understand why it is confusing when there are different definitions all over?

Sure, I can understand why you'd find it confusing. Like a PP said, we don't all get in a room together and vote. Use what makes sense to you, and as your understanding evolves your language may as well. But just because you don't understand it, that doesn't mean kanguage shouldn't change or evolve as people try to be more accurate and inclusive. That isn't going to stop.

The problem is that if you don't use someone's preferred term you are, at best, insensitive, and at worst, a racist (or some other xxx-ist). For example, see all the recent discussions about the language used to describe the various permutations of gay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I remember when it was preferred to refer to folks as black. Then it was changed to african-american. Than, apparently, we went to black again. I guess BIPOC is the latest iteration.

I'm happy to call people whatever they prefer, but if wish folks would settle on one term.

Quite honestly, I’m fairly young and try to keep up, but it is hard. Same with the LatinX thing.

I literally do not know a single Latino in my very large Latino community that likes or used latinx.

I think I know two people who use Latinx and they are both white.

I don’t even know where the term originated but every time I see it it makes me cringe. I want to say it’s being used by guilty white people but I can’t be 100% sure on that. I grew up calling myself Hispanic until latino became fashionable and now I use both but mainly Hispanic.

[Anonymous]

I generally use black. Technically I’m mixed race with African, Cuban, and Irish ancestors. Some Native American thrown in there, too. But I identify as black. And despite efforts to separate AA, Black African, and Afro-Latinx people, we’re seeing that the police don’t care about those distinctions.