Is it correct to say Black, African American, or People of Color?

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If you need to refer to their skin color for whatever reason, then just say black. If you’re trying to make a political statement about oppression, then “person of color” is appropriate and descriptive to convey the point that every skin color other than white is routinely marginalized by society. It’s generally not used in casual contexts though, and if you start slinging that term around as a white person you’re setting yourself up for some extremely awkward conversations.

Avoid African American, unless they’re first or second generation immigrants from Africa. Especially if they’re white South Africans, it’s always fun to call white people African American. But most black Americans feel about as African as they do Martian. Their culture, tradition, family, identity all reside here in the US.

This also cuts around the issue of black Americans who didn’t descend from slaves brought over from Africa.