person of color

American  

[pur-suhn uhv kuhl-er] / ˈpɜr sən əv ˈkʌl ər /

noun

plural

people of color, persons of color

1. a person who is not white.

   The corporation was especially eager to recruit women and people of color.

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person of color Idioms  

1. A nonwhite person, such as someone of African or Native American descent. For example, They have made a genuine effort to promote persons of color to executive positions. This seemingly modern euphemism actually dates from the late 1700s and was revived in the late 1900s.

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Sensitive Note

See Black ¹.

Etymology

Origin of person of color

First recorded in 1785–90

Example Sentences

But every dancer in our film was a person of color, a Latin dancer, people from the Black community, and they are also at the top of their game on Broadway.

From Los Angeles Times

The National Theatre is among the cultural treasures of the U.K., so it is history-making that the institution is now headed by Indhu Rubasingham, the first woman and person of color in charge.

From The Wall Street Journal

In any case, he’s more embracing of his identity as a person of color than Bastian.

From Los Angeles Times

It enrages her that “some people have more barriers than others, whether it means that you’re working class or poor, or a person of color, or queer, or part of the gender spectrum.”

From Los Angeles Times

Joseph I. Castro, the first person of color to lead the California State University system, died Sunday after a battle with colon cancer.

From Los Angeles Times