The word “woke” has become polarizing. Project 2025, the mandate for conservative leadership, mentioned it thirty-five times, warning of a dangerous ideology blossoming. And yet, some of its staunchest critics cannot accurately define the term. When author Bethany Mandel promoted her book, “Stolen Youth,” on The Rising a few years ago, a journalist asked her to define the word. She appeared visibly flustered in a viral clip of the exchange. Despite devoting an entire chapter of her book explaining the supposed dangers of “woke indoctrination” for America’s youth, Mandel could not offer a clear, concise definition. While it is possible to oppose something you don’t fully understand, it’s fair to say this knowledge gap undermines the logic of doing so. When pressured, the author claimed, “Woke is something that is very hard to define.” But that’s not true.
In its original social context, woke referred to awareness of racial injustices, typically expressed by members of the black community. And yet, its meaning has become much more layered over time. Some on the political left have broadened its definition to apply to awareness of social injustices beyond race-based concerns. At the same time, those on the political right have provided inconsistent responses about the meaning of “woke.” Of course, the irony isn’t lost on the black community that many who criticize the term struggle to articulate what it is. The term anti-woke has seemingly captured conservative frustration with progressive policies. From colleges and universities adopting diversity programs to casting directors selecting Black actors in movies and television series, the terminology is often used as a complaint about the increased visibility of Black people.
Harvard University’s first Black president, Claudine Gay, was called “woke” and a DEI hire simply because of her race. Similar rhetoric followed the inauguration of the country’s first woman Vice President, Kamala Harris. The first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson, was met with the same type of pearl-clutching. Despite their qualifications and experience, many assumed they didn’t earn their seat at the table. Such an evaluation speaks to the racism that persists in the American psyche. If “woke” is used to refer to anyone Black who has accessed opportunities traditionally reserved for White people, then it would stand to reason that anti-woke activists won’t be happy with any level of representation for minorities, no matter how small or fleeting.
Confusion over the meaning of the term “woke” reveals that many critics have no idea what it is. How could this be?
One explanation for how so many white people can claim that “woke” is a dangerous ideology without knowing the definition is that many are fed a constant stream of right-wing propaganda on traditional news organizations like Fox News. On The Five, for instance, Dana Perino, the co-host, claimed, “I know it when I see it,” when trying to define “woke,” comparing it to more of a “feeling” than a principle or ideology with defined edges. By portraying the term’s meaning as fluid and ever-changing, conservatives can continue to weaponize the word, applying it to whatever policy position they disagree with. Many Americans are told by people they trust to inform them that “woke” is something they should be afraid of. They should protect their families, homes, schools, and places of businesses from everything “woke.” This perspective overlooks the actual meaning and encourages Americans to keep their eyes shuttered like windows before a storm arrives.
Of course, not everyone is disillusioned about what “woke” means. Joe Rogan, a 57-year-old former television personality with a popular podcast series, The Joe Rogan Experience, seemed to understand its meaning when he spoke about the topic. Yet, he claimed that progressives take the ideology too far. “You can never be woke enough,” Rogan said, portraying Black people and other minorities as insatiable. “If you get to the point where you capitulate, where you agree to all these demands, it’ll eventually get to” the point where “white men are not allowed to talk,” he argued. Claiming that White men are being silenced by efforts to promote diversity is a common refrain from conservatives. And yet, there is no evidence this is happening. Black people urging one another to “stay woke” are trying to inspire increased awareness of racial injustice. Because far too often, the experiences of the Black community are overlooked. In response, some white people are expressing anxiety about sharing the mic and accusing Black people of trying to steal the show.
Donald Trump, the soon-to-be forty-seventh president of the United States, pledged to end “wokeness” and so-called “leftist indoctrination” in public education. He plans to do so by imposing steep fines on colleges “up to the entire amount of their endowment,” according to reporting by the Associated Press. Of course, no high school or college courses detail the cultural meaning of “woke.” Or encourage students to adopt one ideology over another. However, conservatives have used this term to identify everything they dislike about their political opponents. Something as simple as offering black history classes can be seen as “woke, and attacked as such. The same goes for efforts to protect LGBTQ+ students. Or the reproductive rights of women. Not only have some white Americans co-opted the term “woke,” arguably turning it into a racial slur, but they have also used it to make gains politically, seeking to abolish any policies and oppose candidates they label as “too woke.”
Part of the problem is racists don’t believe Black people are qualified to make contributions to American culture. It explains why conservatives are desperate to redefine woke, despite its origins in African American Vernacular English. We should keep in mind they were only able to take something positive, such as raising awareness of racial injustices, and turn it into something negative because conversations about race are generally shunned. This debate over the term “woke” may seem trivial to some people. Still, arguments over this term have contributed to the passing of numerous laws and policies. So it matters that some people think woke means the “suppression of free speech,” that it derives from “communism,” or that it pressures businesses to hire “unqualified people.”
The truth should matter, and so does the etymology of terms. Like Dr. Huey P. Newton once said, power refers to “the ability to define phenomena, and secondly, the ability to make these phenomena act in a desired manner.” To deprive Black people of the freedom to determine the meaning of terms is an effort to deprive them of the most basic human right of self-expression. While anti-woke may sound more palatable than anti-Black, it’s become a socially acceptable way of espousing racism. It’s not that white people are incapable of understanding the term, as some appreciate its cultural significance. However, it’s also true that some have no interest in engaging with the Black community in good faith. Others are swayed by right-wing media figures who often employ ominous language to describe the outcomes of so-called woke policies. Describing woke as a harmful ideology that produces doom and gloom, some encourage Americans to readily dismiss the initial meaning of the terminology coined by the Black community to encourage one another to develop and maintain awareness of racial injustice.
This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of Dr. Allison Gaines' work on Medium.