People of Color

People of color is a socially constructed term used to refer to groups that historically have been considered to be racialized minorities in the United States and Canada. It is not a term that refers to a real biological or scientific distinction between people. Albeit a social construction, the long legacy of racialized categories impacts the lives of all people, especially those marginalized because they are considered non-White. The term is meant to be all-encompassing across non-White groups, as a preferable replacement for the subjugating term minority and the other 63 possible combinations of the six basic racial categories used in the U.S. Census (Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian, White, Other Pacific Islander). This term has become ubiquitous ...