Usage Note: Many people object to the term nonwhite for referring to people by what they are not rather than what they are. There are certainly occasions, as when discussing exclusionary policies such as apartheid or Jim Crow, or in reference to demographic groupings that do not include whites, when this emphasis is appropriate. In many other cases, if it is relevant to mention race or skin color at all, a term such as person of color is often preferable to nonwhite. See Usage Note at person of color.