A Discussion of Being “Woke”

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A Discussion of Being “Woke”

The term “Woke” has been being thrown around in the media, on social networks, and even hearing many politicians use this word in speeches and in interviews. I am definitely not an expert or scholar on the term “woke”, but I feel the need to give my opinion on what I think the word means. I have heard the term woke being used for years in the African-American community, and I never imagined it would morph into mainstream America the way it has in recent years. I think we should start with some definitions of the term woke.

Merriam Webster defines the term as:

1. Aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social injustice);

2. Politically liberal (as in matters of racial and social injustice) especially in a way that is considered unreasonable or extreme.

In years past, there have been many people that used the concept or word woke. Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican philosopher and social activist, in 1923 wrote in one of his writings “Wake up Ethiopia! Wake up Africa!”. In 1962, William Melvin Kelley wrote an article for the New York Times titled “If You’re Woke You Dig It”. There have even been some recording artists that have used the term woke in their recordings such as Erykah Badu, who released a song called “Master Teacher” that references “I stay Woke” in the lyrics. In 2014, the term woke was used by Black Lives Matter in the wake of the Ferguson protests brought on by the police shootings. We can see that this term has been used for many years in the African-American community, and it is related to being socially aware regarding injustice and discrimination. The question now is, why is this word being used so frequently by some as being a negative term that refers to black and minority people. For instance, in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis has recently stated that “Florida is where woke goes to die”, even enacting a Stop Woke Act. As an African-American, and a Florida resident, what does that statement mean to me?

The Stop Woke Act

Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill (HB)7, also known as The Stop Woke Act in 2022. According to Ron DeSantis’ website, “the bill includes provisions to prevent discriminatory instruction in the workplace and in public schools and defines individual freedoms based on the fundamental truth that all individuals are equal before the law and have inalienable rights.” The website adds that “No one should be instructed to feel as if they are not equal or shamed because of their race.” “Schools are required to teach factual information on topics including African American history and the Holocaust instead of subjective indoctrination that pushes collective guilt.”

Let’s fast forward to 2023 when Governor DeSantis blocked a new advanced level high school African American history course. DeSantis’ reasoning as to why he banned this course is because it violates Florida law and “lacks educational value.” It is astonishing to me that Governor DeSantis does not feel that African American history is a huge part of America’s history. Florida high schools currently offer American History, European History, and World History: Modern. If these other history classes have educational value then why wouldn’t African American history offer value to the students? It seems that the subject of slavery, reparations and systemic racism which some still feel continues today, will somehow cause others to feel guilt or shame. I don’t think we should start eliminating relevant history just because some people feel uncomfortable about it. History of any kind should be an honest reflection of what really happened. There are some ugly truths in America’s history when it relates to African-Americans, such as slavery, lynchings, segregation in schools and neighborhoods, and many more atrocities. Our students, no matter what race they are, deserve to know the truth of America’s history as it relates to African-Americans. As a parent, I would want my children to know the truth about history, which should include the good and the bad. It is called reality. This banning of certain courses of history is a bad precedent to set, and as a man contemplating one day being President, shouldn’t he try to show that as a future President he would be representing all people in this country? What I really found interesting is the College Board stripped down the parts of the African-American history that Governor DeSantis didn’t like, and then added an additional choice of Black Conservatism. I think the very indoctrination Governor DeSantis is accusing others of doing is exactly what some could accuse him of doing by banning this class. This is a sad and dangerous road to go down when you start implementing laws that eliminate portions of history from a specific race of people. America is a melting pot of many different races and cultures that should all be respected and represented in a truthful way in its totality, not cutting out bits and pieces to satisfy people that don’t like this particular history.

It is easy for people to pick up a word and run with it, but this particular word and the way it's being used by some can be divisive and discriminatory. In my opinion, being woke means being aware, educating yourself on the social and political issues that affect minority communities. There is nothing wrong with being woke, and don’t let the ignorance of a few cause dissension among the races. This country has struggled for many years to overcome racial issues. We have come a long way, but there are some that are trying to erase all of the gains this country has made. We, as Americans, should not let that happen.

SOURCES:

Merriam-Webster
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woke

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woke#:~:text=Among%20the%20earliest%20uses%20of,Wake%20up%20Africa!%22

The Dispatch
https://thedispatch.com/article/the-origins-of-the-term-woke-had/

Erykah Badu
https://genius.com/Erykah-badu-master-teacher-lyrics

Governor Ron DeSantis
https://www.flgov.com/2022/04/22/governor-ron-desantis-signs-legislation-to-protect-floridians-from-discrimination-and-woke-indoctrination/

The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/19/ron-desantis-bans-african-american-studies-florida-schools

New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/01/us/college-board-advanced-placement-african-american-studies.html

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​ A Discussion of Being “Woke”

A Discussion of Being “Woke”