Wokeness: We can’t define it, but we love to fight it
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In 2022, under judicial pressure, Florida’s Governor Ron Desantis defined “woke” as “the belief there are systemic injustices in American society and the need to address them,” per ABC news. Desantis then clarified that he does not believe that there are any societal injustices present in society; clarity which denies the existence of racism, homophobia, transphobia, islamaphobia, and anti-semitism.
In a statement made in Gainesville, Florida on May 8, 2024, an official statement from the governor’s office declared, “Through the direction and support of Governor DeSantis, Floridians… will not tolerate antisemitic agitators and will not stand on the sidelines, but instead will take immediate action to ensure public safety from radicalized intimidation and violence.”
To me, that sounds like a pretty woke thing to say.
This example of contradictory words and inconsistent beliefs is part of a pattern that is easy to notice if you pay attention. It has become popular recently, especially since Donald Trump began his second term of office in January: to define woke as anything that is not explicitly and exclusively straight, white, and male. We know Trump has a history of aversion to those who do not fit that description. In the 1970s, Trump was sued for discrimination against black potential tenants and he is quoted as responding to seeing a black man waiting for an interview in the lobby of Trump Tower with “Don't ever do that again. I don't want Blacks sitting in my lobby where millionaires are coming in to buy apartments.” As we can see, Trump has always viewed people of color as something to be erased from public view.
With the word’s status as a catch-all term, and the fact that no one can put their finger on the exact parameters of what it catches, it is clear that the word woke has become meaningless– and dangerous because of it.
According to NPR, the word woke was first used in the 1930s, in a song called “Scottsboro Boys” by Huddie Ledbetter, with the lyrics “...So I advise everybody, be a little careful when they go along through Alabama - stay woke, keep their eyes open.” The title of the song refers to the criminal case known as the Scottsboro Boys, when 12 young Black men were accused of raping two white women on a train in Scottsboro, Alabama. The 12 innocent men were held in prison, some on death row, for over seven years, even after the women came forward and admitted they had fabricated the story. In the song, Ledbetter is using the word “woke” in the context of encouraging other Black people in the south to be alert around white people and aware of the societal injustices that may allow them to hurt you.
The word remained in use with a similar meaning, referring more broadly to an awareness of societal injustice, until around 2020, when the right took note of this term and began using it as an insult. We have all witnessed the news and seen right-wing politicians decrying the “woke left,” and, since the beginning of Trump’s second term, seen policies enacted which were designated specifically as “anti-woke.” The End Woke Higher Education Act—passed by the House, but yet to be voted on by the Senate— is one of these examples, listed here for the humorous double meaning the title has.
The other issue with this act, besides being poorly named, is the fact that in accordance with the modern meaninglessness of the term, the act cannot define exactly what it means by woke. It is a wide-reaching bill that would enable religious groups to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, ban institutions from asking students to pledge against racism, and a myriad of other widely unrelated concepts. It is reckless to allow the right to use the word woke as a linguistic free agent that can change meanings based on the user's desire.
What may be even more frustrating than the danger surrounding the wide application of the word is the foolishness with which it is used. In Mar. 2025, in the Pentagon’s first sweep of government websites for mentions of “wokeness,” information on the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of the nation's first Black military pilots, were removed. These men fought against facism for our country, but it is the right’s opinion that they should not be honored for this because they are Black, and it would be too “woke” to talk about people who were not white.
According to NBC News, images and articles concerning the bombing of Hiroshima during WWII were also flagged for removal. Why? Because the aircraft carrying the bomb was named the Enola Gay. Articles concerning a WWII Medal of Honor Recipient were also flagged, due to the man’s surname being Gay. Among other emotions— exasperation, sadness, and disgust—frustration is what I believe to be the normal response to finding out that the information provided to the American public about our country’s history is decided by a racist and faulty “ctrl-F” search.
It is my hope that all of these examples are enough to show that the word “woke” has become co-opted by the right as slang for thought-crime. Black people in our history? Teaching about that is woke. Planes who have a name containing a word I do not like? Too woke. Acknowledging societal inequalities exist? Nope, that is woke, and all my straight white friends and I have never experienced societal inequality, so I think you are making it up.
To end on a sincere note, it is my genuine wish that the right will eventually stop deliberately confusing their constituents with language that they have rendered meaningless, but makes for a snappy soundbite or social media post.