person of color

noun

plural people of color also persons of color

: a person whose skin pigmentation is other than and especially darker than what is considered characteristic of people typically defined as white (see white entry 1 sense 2a) : a person who is of a race (see race entry 1 sense 1a) other than white or who is of mixed race

People of color account for 43 percent of the active-duty military, but the top ranks are largely white and male.

—Helene Cooper

Because we are so accustomed to talking about race in terms of black and white, we often fail to recognize and contest expressions of racism that target people of color who are not black.

—Angela Y. Davis

Examples of person of color in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As a person of color breaking into a predominantly white industry, having a mentor to share their experience and network is a game-changer. —T. Dallas Smith, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024

The university's Board of Trustees unanimously elected Ah Yun, marking the first time a person of color will lead Marquette and just the second time a lay person is in charge. —Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 20 Nov. 2024

Being a person of color in a predominantly White sport wasn’t always easy for Emery, his mom said. —Peter Baugh, The Athletic, 14 Aug. 2024

So much of being in homogenous, predominantly white spaces [as a person of color] is not feeling validated in your experience. —Celia Ford, Vox, 21 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1778, in the meaning defined above