Title: BIPOC Meaning | What Is BIPOC, and How Did Its Definition Evolve?
Headings: What Does BIPOC Stand For? Why It’s Important to Know What This Acronym Means
What Does BIPOC Stand For? Why It’s Important to Know What This Acronym Means
Have you been seeing this term a lot lately? Here’s what it means and when you should—and shouldn't—use it.
What is BIPOC?
The benefits of using BIPOC
Some people take offense to the term people of color
Language has immense power
When to stay general and when to get specific
Sources:
Black Businesses to Support
Quotes in the Fight Against Racism
Podcasts About Race You Need to Hear
Popular Videos

Content: What is BIPOC? According to advocacy organization The BIPOC Project, BIPOC is an acronym for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, and the term is meant to “highlight the unique relationship to Whiteness that Indigenous and Black (African Americans) people have.” But BIPOC’s definition is a little more complicated than that, explains Rob Buscher, an adjunct professor in the Asian American Studies Program at the University of Pennsylvania. “ I’ve heard it mean two different things, so it’s important to make a distinction: Are we talking about Black and Indigenous persons of color, or are we talking about Black, Indigenous, and persons of color? Because some people mean that exclusively to talk about Black and Indigenous communities,” he says. “ I don’t know that there’s a consensus about what it means.” Some people also believe that the term is redundant, which further confuses BIPOC’s meaning. “ For me, Black and Indigenous people are people of color,” says linguist Tracey Weldon, PhD, a professor and the interim dean of the graduate school and vice provost for graduate education at the University of South Carolina. “ So, both definitions carry an element of redundancy.”