BIPoC
The abbreviation BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous and People of Colour. People of Colour is a designation for people who are regarded by majority society as non-white, and who may be of African, Asian, Latin American, Arab, Indigenous or Pacific descent or heritage. The concept emphasises shared experiences of racialisation and systemic discrimination rather than biological difference, as race itself is understood as a social construct (Omi & Winant, 2015).
The term BIPOC is used in both activist and academic contexts. It brings together those who are marginalised by white dominant culture in order to strengthen anti-racist interventions and alliances. The term is political, as it is self-defining and empowering.
However, it is important to stress that not all people covered by this collective term have the same experiences, particularly in relation to systemic oppression.
People of Color
Person of Color (plural: People of Color, abbreviated PoC) is a term for people who are considered non-white by the majority society and face everyday and other forms of racism because of their ethnicity. In Germany, the term has tended to be used in academic contexts and as a self-designation. People of Color refers to all ethnicized people who are of varying degrees of African, Asian, Latino, Arab, Jewish, Indigenous, or Pacific Islander descent or origin. It connects those who are marginalized by white dominant culture to strengthen anti-racist interventions and alliances.
The US-American context cannot be transferred seamlessly into German. For this reason, the abbreviation BPoC is also often used in Germany.
The following links provide an overview of the BIPoC and People of Color self-designations:
- https://diversity-arts-culture.berlin/woerterbuch/poc-person-color (ger.)
What Does "BIPOC" Mean?
What Exactly is a POC?
Important terms in the field of anti-racism
Information on dimensions of discrimination
And what can I do against discrimination? Information about allyship can be found here.