“Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!), Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace.” Could this 19th-century poem by Leigh Hunt that celebrates the love of God that is found by loving others be the origin of the word “woke?”
Merriam-Webster says that the term originated within the Black community in the mid-1900s as a way of describing someone who is educated and socially conscious.
Before that, however, it was used in a protest song that decried the tragedy of the Scottsboro Boys who were falsely imprisoned in 1931. A 1962 New York Times article by William Melvin Kelly entitled: “If You Are Woke You Dig It” underscored its positive use in the Black community.
It came into greater prominence after the death of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old Black man who was killed by a White police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. His death in 2014 and the subsequent exoneration of the police officer precipitated riots in Ferguson and demonstrations around the country.
In the aftermath of Ferguson, “woke” reclaimed its original meaning of being aware of systemic racism and the pernicious impact of discrimination.
The most interesting thing about the word “woke” is that it has a very long and positive pedigree. It has always referenced human qualities that are admirable and necessary for an informed electorate.
Being woke was constantly being aware of what is taking place in the world. Being woke was understanding that injustices are things that need to be rectified. Being woke, most of all means being well educated enough to be a good citizen and a productive member of society.
Of late, this word has burst into political discourse as being something very negative.
Last year, the Florida Legislature enacted a bill that is commonly referred to as the Stop Woke Act. (Stop Wrongs Against Our Kids) It takes aim at schools and workplaces and prohibits any instruction that suggests that any individual by virtue of their race, color, sex or national origin “… bears responsibility for and must feel guilt, anguish or other forms of psychological distress,” on account of historical acts of racism.
Since then, the term woke has been used as a catchall to disparage people who believe in climate change, who think that “Dreamers” should be given citizenship, that our immigration laws need to be drastically and humanely overhauled and that transsexual kids should be supported and respected.
One of our solons who is choosing to make war against woke culture lists social justice as one of his targets. Sadly, the use of the word woke is becoming a dog whistle for racists, homophobes and climate deniers.
Once upon a time the word “queer” was used in a derogatory way. Today it has been rescued from its unfortunate past and is used proudly in the LGBTQ community.
Perhaps now is the time to give the word “woke” a similar future. It deserves to be rescued from its pejorative usage and restored to its original meaning. Being woke should be an adjective that we should all aspire to embrace.
Racism and sexism are in the air we breathe. Until we all become anti-racist and anti-sexist, these social ills will continue in our nation. This is what being woke is really all about, being aware and awake to the injustices that surround us.
Being woke means that we understand global warming to be a clear and present danger for our planet and for people who are yet to be born. Climate change is real. What is also real is the fact that carbon emissions need to be curtailed.
Being woke means that we understand that this is a long term crisis that cannot be solved overnight. It also means that we cannot afford to deny its existence.
Being woke means that we recognize the dignity of transgender children and are humbled by the fact that we do not know all that we need to know about gender and sexuality. Meantime, we respect people and believe what they tell us about themselves and support them in their journey to self-discovery.
Being woke means that we respect and admire all the people who put on a police uniform every day. We appreciate their keeping our communities safe. And we are aware that there are bad apples in all walks of life and resist the temptation to paint everyone with the same brush.
Being woke means that we see health care as a human right and food insecurity as something that no one should have to endure in the richest country in the world.
Being woke means so many other things that emanate from the simple awareness that liberty and justice for all need to be much more than a poetic aspiration. Being woke is what America should be all about.
Msgr. Paul Garrity is a senior priest of the Archdiocese of Boston and former pastor at St. Mary’s Church in Lynn.
