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What does BIPOC mean?

Discussions around the use of the identifier Black, Indigenous and other people of color (BIPOC, pronounced bye-pock) have appeared frequently in the mainstream news media. In brief, the term BIPOC aims to address concerns expressed by some Black and Indigenous people that the identifier "people of color” overgeneralizes and minimizes the unique, historically derived issues that Black and Indigenous people face in the United States. The term “people of color” traditionally includes Latinos/Latinas/Latinx Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islander Americans, Middle Eastern Americans, and multiracial Americans and others who have historically fallen under the term. 

The BIPOC team that initiated the development of this resource agreed upon the use of BIPOC as a unifying term to emphasize the often-shared experiences on campus. We recognize the importance of naming particular groups depending on context and situations. Concern for exclusion, overgeneralization, misconceptions and erasure were considered in choosing to use the term.

TheBIPOCProject.org founders use the term “to highlight the unique relationship to whiteness that Indigenous and Black (Americans of African descent) people have, which shapes the experiences of and relationship to white supremacy for all people of color within a U.S. context.” The term is used to also center and focus on the interrelationships between BIPOC-identifying people.

We also commit to centering the needs of BIPOC-identifying individuals and people who identify as members of other underrepresented and marginalized groups.

The development of this resource is a learning process. Mistakes will be made even with the most careful and best intentions. Suggestions, comments and recommendations are welcome to continuously improve this effort. Please complete the form found at the right side of this page to co-create and improve the information presented.

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More about this resource

What is the resource?

The Diversity & Inclusion in Research & Innovation hub, developed for everyone engaged in the research and innovation community, aims to collect, compile and provide resources and support for typically underrepresented and marginalized people in the CU Boulder community, especially those who are Black, Indigenous and other people of color (BIPOC).

This resource was developed specifically to provide new and currently unavailable resources for those who are Black, Indigenous and other people of color (BIPOC), as well as to expand resources available to everyone engaged in the research and innovation community.

This resource was developed by the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity Committee (IDEC) at the Institute of Cognitive Science.

The Institute of Cognitive Science (ICS) Inclusion, Diversity, Equity Committee (IDEC) identified a need for resources, listings and services available at CU Boulder and the campus community for Black, Indigenous and other people of color (BIPOC) and people with other nondominant culture identities. Crowdsourced resources centered on serving the needs of the diverse people represented on the committee and in the ICS research and educational community drove the development of the idea.

The Institute of Cognitive Science (ICS) Inclusion, Diversity, Equity Committee (IDEC) came together to meet the mutual needs of students, staff, faculty, researchers and educators at ICS struggling with racism and the revealing of overt racist violence with the killing of George Floyd in May of 2020. What began as an anti-racism discussion group quickly developed into a committee devoted to promoting anti-racism and anti-oppression within ICS’s research and educational community. Through brainstorming the needs of diverse individuals on the committee, surveying the ICS community’s needs, identifying where structural improvements could be made, and engaging in consensus decision-making processes, actionable tasks were identified. Lack of resources and support for the BIPOC community and others who are typically underserved was identified as a barrier to retention and recruitment at ICS, which led to the creation of the current resources. 

The content was first developed by institute-based groups to support institute-specific needs. Over time, it became clear that those needs were shared not just by institutes, but by those same segments of the wider campus––researchers, faculty, students and staff––so the content and the plan to share it continued to evolve until it reached the Research & Innovation Office, which serves the original institute audiences, as well as researchers, faculty, students and staff that operate outside of institutes. 

All individuals and groups at CU Boulder are encouraged to utilize this resource. Suggestions, comments and recommendations are welcome to continuously improve this effort. Please complete the form found on the right side of this page to co-create and improve the information presented.

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