I have been working hard to bring back the use of 'colored people.' I kind of like it, it is diverse and can cover many types of people (Hispanics, Asians, blacks, American Indians) which is helpful since I am on a campus and people worry about this stuff. I absolutely refuse to use 'African-American.' I am not about hyphenated Americans.
'People of color' is the more accepted term, but, shoot, I like 'colored people' (pronounced kullud people) and like to say it often in front of white liberals who won't attack me on my un-PC speech because I'm black.
The only time I feel the need to include some color in a description is when I'm trying to describe someone for whom a search is on. Nothing wrong with giving an accurate description.