What is the one thing that a person in power can say to insult an entire race of people?
Answer: Ignore their historical significance and contributions to their country while simultaneously rebranding their quest to end social and racial injustice as frivilous
Why? Because doing so minimizes their relevance in history and it sends a strong message that their contributions don’t matter. It is insensitive to the experiences, resiliency, wisdom and strength of their ancestors. Such is the case when powerful politicians and their pundits misappropriate the word “woke”—a word used for more than eight decades in the African American community to express the need to be alert to social and racial injustices ine issues and labels it as a radical ideology.
The word “woke” as used in the Black community has cultural and historical significance. African Americans were the only people in the United States legally enslaved for 246 years, counted only as three-fifths of a person, the recipients of 99 years of Jim Crow discrimination, had specific racist laws designed to prevent housing equality, suffered lynchings and white mobs that destroyed their towns and neighborhoods based on racial hatred. With lived and ancestral experiences filled with injustice, one would expect that issues related to racial and social injustice would be “top of mind.” Woke means to be “aware” of racism in American society. Definitions of this word are provided below from three different dictionaries:
Merriam Webster Dictionary: “…aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice).
Dictionary.com “…having or marked by an active awareness of systemic injustices and prejudices, especially those related to civil and human rights.
Oxford Dictionary “…alert to racial or social discrimination and injustice; frequently in stay woke.
When was the word first used? Marcus Garvey used the word in the 1920s admonishing Black citizens to become more socially and politically conscious. However, it was the legendary blues musician Huddie William Ledbetter (aka Lead Belly) who coined the phrase “stay woke” at the end of a song he recorded in 1938 called the Scottsboro Boys. The Scottsboro Boys were 9 young Black men falsely accused of raping two white women in 1931. The criminal trial received national attention because of the unfair as they did not receive fair trials and faced imprisonment for a crime not committed. Jim Crow was in full effect as was lynching and other atrocities. In this song, Lead Belly warned Blacks that traveling through Alabama was dangerous because of the overt racism and injustice of the time. Specifically, at the end of the song he stated:
“I advise everybody to be a little careful when they go down through there.
Just stay woke. Keep your eyes open.”
Huddie William Ledbetter (aka Lead Belly)-1938
As we moved into the 21st century and more specifically 2020, the use of the word became intertwined with Black Lives Matter protests that erupted nationally following the murder of George Floyd. At this point, the mischaracterization of the word by politicians began and the meaning of the word was used derisively to conjure up images of unruly mobs and an extreme left ideology. Completely negating its true meaning within the community. In fact, the meaning of the word has become so misused in right wing political circles the Oxford Dictionary has included a special side note by its’ definition of woke to explain that the word is in fact used derisively.. The statement reads as follows:
“This word is often used in a disapproving way by people who think that some other people are too easily upset about these issues, or talk too much about them in a way that does not change anything.”
This rebranding of the word conjures up different connotations and lacks respect for seeking improvement in racial and social justice issues. It conjures up fears. Sociologists have shown that this sort of “political priming” using the media is known to be effective. It is important to preserve the true meaning and to demonstrate to the world why the word “woke” remains relevant today and why it should be passed down in its intended definition to our future generations.
Let’s be very clear about what the word “woke” is NOT. It is NOT a divisive word meant to hurt anyone’s feelings. It is NOT a word used to make white people feel guilty because of things that their ancestors did in the past. These false innuendos have contributed to the proliferation of state laws that limit teaching historical facts about racism and inequality and their significance in forming this country. Unfortunately, even discussions of diversity and inclusion have now been factored in as “bad” things based upon the rebranding of the word.
Woke is anti-racism. One must be aware and understand that racism existed in American laws and policies of the past and their impact still linger in key areas of life for most African Americans. In this book, six areas of American society continue to be negatively impacted as a result of the structural inclusion of racist laws and policies of the past. The six areas that will be discussed in this book are: voting rights, education, housing, incarceration, health disparities and generational wealth.
It is important for that the reader understands the difference between equality and equity. Equality means that each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities. Equity recognizes that each person, however, has different circumstances and the need to allocate the additional resources and in order to help them take advantage of these same resources and opportunities. This blog is intended to reveal how past laws and policies have created barriers that continue to prevent equality in key areas of African American life. It is important to know how the past continues to impact the present. These specific areas are provided in the schematic below:
