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

[Anonymous]

In the last 2 weeks, since the BLM protests have started. I’ve seen everyone start to use BIPOC (eg “support BIPOC businesses”, “discrimination against BIPOC”). I looked it up and it means Black Indigenous People of Color.

So does BIPOC not include LatinX, Middle Eastern, and Asian? Is it replacing POC as a way to say those other groups are less discriminated against? Where did the word come from?

[Anonymous]

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”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the last 2 weeks, since the BLM protests have started. I’ve seen everyone start to use BIPOC (eg “support BIPOC businesses”, “discrimination against BIPOC”). I looked it up and it means Black Indigenous People of Color.

So does BIPOC not include LatinX, Middle Eastern, and Asian? Is it replacing POC as a way to say those other groups are less discriminated against? Where did the word come from?

Different groups, different experiences. Non-white people's experiences aren't fungible.

[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”.

What is the actual difference between BIPOC and African-American? If you Google it seems to be the same thing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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”.

What is the actual difference between BIPOC and African-American? If you Google it seems to be the same thing?

I mean, just for starters, you know not every Black person is American, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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”.

What is the actual difference between BIPOC and African-American? If you Google it seems to be the same thing?

+1. I am most confused by including “indigenous” in there. They have different experiences. Just black makes sense to me. Black + indigenous reads to me as separating out from other kinds of POC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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”.

What is the actual difference between BIPOC and African-American? If you Google it seems to be the same thing?

I mean, just for starters, you know not every Black person is American, right?

Of course I know that. You can answer the question without being snarky. If you read here, they literally refer to “Indigenous and Black (African American)”

https://www.thebipocproject.org/

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

Only whites are privileged enough to have one term for themselves.

[Anonymous]

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.

PP, it's not like all black/African-American/BIPOC/[other terms] people get together and vote, and whichever term gets the most vote, that's the one to use for everybody forevermore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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”.

What is the actual difference between BIPOC and African-American? If you Google it seems to be the same thing?

I mean, just for starters, you know not every Black person is American, right?

Of course I know that. You can answer the question without being snarky. If you read here, they literally refer to “Indigenous and Black (African American)”

https://www.thebipocproject.org/

That one website aside, I haven’t seen anything indicating that BIPOC refers only to Americans, but perhaps someone more knowledgeable than me can weigh in.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

[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.

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?