How has “Being Woke’’ Become so Controversial?

“Woke”: a word now typically associated with politically charged conversations. With its roots in Black American vernacular, wokeness has transformed from a term about awareness and justice to an insult about progressiveness. Music has played a huge role in Black history, and when it comes to “staying woke,” artists have altered how we view political issues for almost a century.

Being “politically woke” means being conscious of one’s surroundings, educated, and proactive about the societal injustices permeating one’s environment. In its earliest days, to be woke meant you had an advantage over others— you knew things, saw things, and believed things others did not. Wokeness meant you were ready to fight injustices that no longer served your community. In the 1920s, Jamaican philosopher and activist Marcus Garvey wrote, “Wake up!” to spread his cause of Pan-Africanism, the movement that aimed to unite Americans of African descent. In 1938, artist Lead Belly recorded “Scottsboro Boys,” based on the true story of four Black men who were falsely accused of raping a white woman in Scottsboro, Alabama, and were sentenced to death. He wrote, “I advise everybody to be a little careful when they go down South. Stay woke. Keep your eyes open.” Wokeness was a caution to be aware of what could happen in the Jim Crow South and be mindful of what has happened in this region’s troubled past. During the 1970s and ’80s, with the rise of Hip-Hop and Rap, wokeness grew in influence, and staying socially conscious was a common theme in the music. Over time, the word woke became connected to the black experience; to be woke is to be Black. It symbolized the shift from realizing you were asleep—metaphorically blind to injustice—waking up, and staying awake as an imperative part of Black culture. 

Wokeness started to become heavily associated with the Civil Rights Movement, and instead of a term signifying Black power, it became a term that discredited and labeled the important work of these activists as unnecessary and harmful. In the 1960s and ’70s, those considered woke recognized discrimination in their communities and effectively called out the everyday bigotry and bias they were facing. By shedding light and media attention on this racism, many white supremacists felt threatened and started to villainize woke people and paint wokeness as a destroyer of the status quo they wanted to retain. A word that held so much significance and meaning to Black people became a word used to insult progressive ideas and values.

For White Americans, speaking out against inherent and purposeful racism and discrimination in society started to become a threat to their “whiteness.” In the modern day, politicians have extended this trend of stigmatizing wokeness to focus on fighting “the woke” in schools, businesses, and the government. In truth, wokeness has never been about dismantling society and tearing down the government; a “woke” person is simply someone who seeks to contribute to the betterment and advancement of an equal society.

Throughout the 21st century, Black artists continued using their music as a medium of art activism. Lauryn Hill’s 2002 track, “I Find It Hard to Say (Rebel)”, the 2008 song “Master Teacher” by Erykah Badu, credited with coining the term “Stay Woke,” and Childish Gambino’s 2016 “Redbone” spoke about the importance of modern “wokeness” and its effects on Black American life today. Being and staying “woke” was repopularized under the 2013 Black Lives Matter movement. Although today the term “woke” has changed meaning throughout history and is currently used to attack and defame the “progressive side,” the power and influence wokeness had on the Civil Rights Movement and Black History throughout the 20th and 21st centuries cannot be denied. 

The next time you encounter a polarizing or contentious word in the media, pause for a moment to reflect on its origins, its intended meaning, and the reasons it might be used in unexpected ways. More often than not, you'll uncover something new.