Colored

This article is about the term used mostly in the United States and United Kingdom. For the term used for an ethnic group in Southern Africa, see Coloureds. For other uses, see Color (disambiguation).

Photograph by Russell Lee showing historical use of the term in the US in contrast with "white". Besides the big signs, the water cooler itself is labelled with a sign reading "colored".
"Colored people" redirects here. For the modern term referring to non-white people, see People of color. For the DC Talk song, see Colored People (song).

Colored (or coloured) is a racial descriptor historically used in the United States during the Jim Crow era to refer to an African American. In many places, it may be considered a slur.[1] It has taken on a special meaning in Southern Africa referring to a person of mixed or Cape Coloured heritage.[2]

  1. ^ Butterly, Amelia (27 January 2015). "Warning: Why using the term 'coloured' is offensive". BBC Newsbeat. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  2. ^ Statistical Abstract of the United States. US Department of the Treasury. 1934. p. 554 – via Google Books.