I feel like I personally generally use “people of color” (or adjacent “of color” terms) if I am talking both generally and fairly colloquially. I think this happens the most if I’m talking about the demographics of a group in a more casual sense, for example: a show with performers of color. Referring to folks in my own friend group who are of varying races as “other people of color”. Generally I am using this term in conversations where race and racism are relevant but perhaps not the primary focus. Especially if what I’m really trying to center is the person/people themselves, but their race is still a necessary factor to the discussion. It’s worth noting, though, that some people just straight up don’t like these terms at all, and their reasons for feeling that way are completely understandable! If you are going to use them, please use them correctly—poc and similar terms are meant to be nouns, not adjectives. “Poc artists” or “poc women”, for example, are not things that make sense to say and they make you sound really foolish!
“Racialized” (as in racialized people, racialized authors, racialized trans people, etc) is a term that I think is very good in conversations that are about the politics of race itself and how it operates. Especially if part of what you’re trying to emphasize is the socially constructed nature of race.
And in MANY contexts, I think far more than some (often white) people realize, the best term to use is the most specific one. When I am talking explicitly about Native people, I say Native people. When the topic I am discussing is more specific to the Nahua, the Diné, the Lakota—I name those tribes. IF THE THING YOU ARE DISCUSSING PRIMARILY PERTAINS TO ANTIBLACKNESS AND AFFECTS BLACK PEOPLE, YOU NEED TO GET COMFORTABLE WITH SAYING BLACK PEOPLE. That one seems to really be a challenge for people in a way that in and of itself is deeply antiblack, whew! And so on, and so forth. Umbrella terms do have their functions, but it's important to stop and ask yourself if the topic you're trying to address is impacting or more relevant to a certain group over others.
I'm not laying out hard and fast rules, to be clear. These are contentious terms, and everybody seems to have a slightly different take on them. Which in and of itself is representative of the way racialized people are not one homogeneous demographic block, but groupings upon groupings of individuals with some shared traits and experiences and many differences as well. There are terms I also haven't mentioned here—global majority is one I know some really like.
Main conclusion: be mindful with your language, be open to the idea that some people may not agree with how you're utilizing it. Call people what they want to be called, be specific when you can. Be open to learning!
