What defines POC?

[mia]

Half Puerto Rican, half European mix.
Are my grandchildren POC? Two have tan skin and brown eyes.

[dogman]

1. But who do you support in the Primary?

We have to fit you in the narrative.

[Half-Century Man]

2. As much as I hate to point it out.

Have they been hated on due to the color of their skin?
As I have said: It is far past the time when the superficial visual differences caused by temporary geographical isolation are ignored; there is one race, the Human race.

[jaysunb]

3. +1 n/t

[MADem]

4. Ask them.

I had a Panamanian sailor who worked for me who could have been Evander Holyfield's twin, who never checked black or AA on any of the 'ethnicity' forms -- just HISPANIC. This person did not identify as black, at least not in the American sense of the word, and rejected any overtures to join black social clubs.

And we were ahead of the curve, because we allowed multiple choices on forms well before many agencies offered that option. No one had to choose.

I know Puerto Ricans who consider themselves caucasian, despite the obvious old saw about looking to your grandmama to know your heritage that is a popular saying down that way.

I know it sounds a bit off, but really, with all the "swirling" going on, it's getting to be less of a cut-and-dried thing.

Pretty soon we'll all be talking about our "earthling" DNA--LOL!

[Nye Bevan]

5. What are you hoping to achieve by labeling them?

I'm sure you will love them just as much notwithstanding any arbitrary box some beancounter wants to pigeonhole them in.

[Agnosticsherbet]

6. "ON LANGUAGE; People of Color" New York Times, 1988 WILLIAM SAFIRE (take with some salt)

ON LANGUAGE; People of Color

Actually, a pretty damn good article. For all of his foibles, Safire was a good writer.

POC is used mostly in the US and refers to people whose skin pigmentation is not European White.

[Rebkeh]

7. Well, there's identity and then there's oppression. *Color* has less to do with it.

For me, it depends and is on a case by case basis.

Just how much systemic oppression do people face? And I don't mean just in terms of wealth and privilege, but how steep is the climb strictly on societal terms? On the so called level playing field, how much crap is built-in their life due to no fault of their own? Society is literally designed to favor certain people and function on the backs of others. There are shades of grey, for sure, but at some point, there's a hierarchy and it's ugly. Yes. Ugly but it's reality too.

Then there's identity, which I keep as a separate compartment, personally.

Not that color doesn't matter at all in these terms. A lighter skinned Puerto Rican is likely going to have an easier go of it, though his or her foreign sounding name could tip the balance to some degree. The darker skinned may speak perfect English which would help also.

It's messy. Sigh ... But it's real. Racism is real so we have to accept race and all that comes with it. Because bigots. It's a political necessity.

But, in terms of identity .... that's entirely up to the individual because race is just a construct.

But we cannot translate the spiritual realities of race and identity into political reality until justice is met. That's the problem - we cannot cross that divide until the field actually is level. We can't come together until we trust each other.

[Brickbat]

8. Goodness, have you talked to them about it?