I was in a university chapter of the NAACP in Kansas in 1964-65 and watched/listened to the 'colored'/black/Negro...etc. members argue intensely among themselves about what they ought to be called.

I stayed out of it.

The debate included complaints that "African American" was too long and didn't really cover all 'people of that general color', and that 'Black' wasn't really accurate, and that 'Negro' was loaded and and too easy to mispronounce...etc. What they called each other was... 'interesting'.

The appropriateness of any term is dependent on who is using it in what context and with what intent.... but too many want to pin down one term or another as THE one, and can't be bothered to analyze context.

I agree that People of Color is awkward and stilted for most situations, but I have seen times when it exactly covered the situation.

I 'tend' to favor Black & White for informal use when only the two ethnic groups are involved, but African American for formal occasions... and sometimes I just avoid using a term...