This is my favorite definition, personally:

People of Color: Refers to anyone who is not white. A term of inclusion and solidarity referring to Blacks, Native Americans, Latinos, and Asians. This term is often preferable to other inclusive terms such as minority and nonwhite. While people of color are a minority in the United States, they are the majority of the world’s population. Use of the term minority, some claim, therefore obscures this global reality and in effect reinforces racist assumptions. To describe people as non-white is to use whiteness as the standard or norm against which all others are defined. The term people of color is a political statement. People may choose to identify themselves this way for reasons that include physical appearance, racial and/or cultural heritage, class, and political perspective. This is a debated term. (x)

My understanding is that POC refers to any person who is anything other than a white person. I’m actually not sure how “of color” you have to be in order to be a POC. My gut tells me — and this is a bit blunt, mind you — that if you look like anything other than a white person, you could probably qualify as a POC.

It’s a bit of a frustratingly vague term, I know, but I think it’s supposed to be as inclusive as possible. I would be grateful for any further perspective that our followers could offer.

Thank you for your question!
-C