Not your BIPOC, POC or WOC
I talk about this a lot because I see way too many people using these acronyms without care or intention in writing and while speaking.
A Black person stands in front of a brick wall smiling and points saying “Let’s get to it.”
Do not get it twisted, I used to use these acronyms just as well as the next person. I stopped using them after a White woman called me “a BIPOC” in conversation. I shared this interaction with Xin Yi Yap (She/Her) last year and it still stings now. I am not your BIPOC.
Before we get into why these acronyms sting and do none of the things they claim to do let’s break down what they’re supposed to stand for.
Acronyms
BIPOC-Black, Indigenous and People of Color
WOC-Women of Color
POC-People of Color
No one knows for sure how or where Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) originated but the origin of Women of Color (WOC) has been described by Loretta Ross, cofounder and national coordinator of SisterSong -Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective. It was originally used to establish solidarity and a deep connection amongst women from different cultural and racial backgrounds. People of Color (POC) finds its roots from “groups like the Black Panther Party for Self Defense and the Brown Berets came together in solidarity as people of color, which was a new instantiation of the idea of people having color.” These terms have have since their origin been carelessly turned into acronyms and used in every fashion imaginable under capitalism.
A Black person being interrogated sighs and says “I’m tired. Can I go?’
The Sting
The terms above were used to establish solidarity and move away from hurtful language like “colored people” which began being used in the late 19th century to describe Black people. They once formed solidarity for a common goal. These terms now turned acronyms for convenience and marketing have lost their original meanings and intentions.
Daily I see people who could not identify with the terms above using them to describe anyone and everyone. They lump all issues together as if they are one and the same. As if one person with melanin in their skin is a complete replica of another and that their experiences surely are the same. They assume our communities, families and needs are the same and differentiating them from one another would not only be too much but unnecessary. They assume the color of my skin is the only information needed to assume various details about me and my life to the point that they deem themselves able to force an identity upon me without my consent.
A Black person mean muggin.
I am not your BIPOC, POC or WOC.
Alternatives
Hopefully at this point you have taken what you’ve needed from this space and decided to find alternatives for the terms turned acronyms above.
In conversation and writing I often use “people that share my identities or my lived experiences.”
Now, some of y’all would not be able to say that and be correct in context.
To that realization, I ask :
Why the fuck are you talking about these people?
Why are you not allowing the people you are talking about to speak for themselves?
Why have you centered yourself in a conversation about people you share no relation to?
Lil Nas X dressed as a judge says “Answer The Question!” which is captioned in white lettering.
Places to look as you as you search for alternatives:
Thinking points to take with you:
Be as intentional as possible
Decenter yourself daily
Don’t force an identity on another person, especially out of convenience
K Mataōtama Strohl (They/Them)
K is an award-winning consultant, coach, writer and speaker. K is also the curator of a content space that shares “refreshingly genuine and educational bite sized yet profound insights and experiences,” as well as the host of two popular podcasts.
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