When observing the words “masking” and “code switching,” we would categorize them as synonyms of one another. The act of masking and code-switching is often used in the same social settings, such as the workplace, academia, and healthcare. Masking has been in use within BIPOC communities since slavery as a survival tool to present as obedient. Code-switching was acknowledged when BIPOC communities began to integrate into white spaces. For BIPOC communities, the impact of shie