BIPOC

By Deane Barker

Definition: Black, Indigenous, People of Color

The NY Times, in an article entitled Where Did BIPOC Come From? claims this tweet is the first usage:

Shout out to @EricPride @ToTNG @MissHC @Aim_4_Greatness & @headonist Thanks for supporting/following us #GrindToronto #BIPOC #Toronto

The article quoted a journalism professor:

“The black and Indigenous was added to kind of make sure that it was inclusive,” Ms. Frisby said. “I think the major purpose of that was for including voices that hadn’t originally been heard that they wanted to include in the narrative, darker skin, blacks and Indigenous groups, so that they could make sure that all the skin shades are being represented.”

The point seems to be to include indigenous peoples:

Ms. Frisby said that the most significant part of the acronym was to include Indigenous people, who are also asking for policing to change, in discussions where race is mentioned.

Why I Looked It Up

It came up in a news article. I knew about POC, but I thought the BI had something to do with bisexuality.