Woke – Meaning, Origin & Usage

These days you can barely go anywhere without hearing the word “woke”. But it’s still a relatively new term, so you can be forgiven for being unsure as to what it might mean. That’s why we’ve put together this article…

We’re going to cover everything you need to know about the term, starting with it’s precise meaning. Then we’ll move along to how the term originated, and how the meaning evolved and expanded to its current framing today. This will be followed by a discussion on the controversies surrounding the word “woke” , and recent anti-woke legislation.

So, without further ado, let’s get down to business.

What does the word “woke” mean?

Depending on where you look for the meaning of the word “woke”, you get different answers. For instance, the Oxford Dictionary still defines it as the verb meaning the past of “wake”. But it’s original use referred to being more aware of certain issues. Today however, it has become something of a catch-all term for being overly sensitive to matters of social justice. Let’s break it down…

The original meaning of the word “woke” was as a term of empowerment and awareness within the Black community, rooted in a heightened awareness of systemic inequalities and injustices faced by marginalized groups, especially among black people

However, in the 2010s, the word evolved to include awareness of other forms of inequality, such as LGBTQ+ discrimination. Since then however, the meaning of the word “woke” has since become a highly charged and contested term. It is often used by right-wing leaning people as a shorthand for left-leaning political viewpoints, and as a label for overly sensitive viewpoints.

What are the origins of the word “woke”?

Relatively dated origins

Interestingly the word “woke”dates back as far as the 1930s. It initially emerged from African American Vernacular English (AAVE) to signify awareness of social and racial injustices, particularly within the Black community. Even after the turn of the millennium, there are still prejudices against marginalized groups, with black people considered to be long term victims to systemic inequalities and injustices.

At this time, staying “woke“ meant committing to staying informed about these issues and staying engaged and actively challenging social injustice. The phrase “stay woke” is believed by some to be an echoe of Martin Luther King Junior’s call “to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change”.

Black Lives Matter Movement

It is generally accepted that the lives of several black people have been lost due to systemic racism by the police in the United States. This sparked the Black Lives Matter Movement that began in America but quickly went global.

There was the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin back in 2012, then the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner in 2014. But public unrest had grown considerably worse after the death of George Floyd at the hands of US police in 2020.

Mass demonstrations were held to show that such deaths are not acceptable, or in other words, black lives matter. The word “woke” meant having your eyes opened to the extent of police brutality toward black people and being aware of systemic racism in the police force.

Broadening usage of the word “woke”

The meaning of the word “woke” broadened in its scope around this time to mean being “alert to social and/or racial discrimination and injustice” . There was the #Staywoke hashtag and a “stay woke“ meme, and the word “woke” came to mean being “politically and socially aware”, among Black Lives Matter activists and among people generally.

This meant that the term now encompassed other forms of inequality, such as sexism and LGBTQ+ discrimination. And around the time of the Black Lives Matter movement, specifically in years 2013 through to 2015, there was a clear movement in favour of gay marriages, also known as civil partnerships. This indicates a time of increasing acceptance of people who are homosexual or bisexual.

However, the growing popularity of homosexual rights and homosexual pride also included a movement in the rights and pride of the transgender community, about which there is still some contention (more on that later).

Since then, the word “woke” has grown to become a catch-all term for a wide variety of social movements, including, feminism, immigration, climate change and marginalised communities in general.

Weaponisation of the word “woke”

In particular, the word “woke” became synonymous with left-leaning and progressive political ideologies, which are often associated with identity politics and social justice.

Addressing such issues has become a powerful drive for individuals, communities and companies alike, with many organisations developing policies in relation to diversity, equity and inclusion. What this means on the ground is that, on the whole, people began to pay greater care and attention to how minority populations are treated in different situations. This meant taking systemic prejudice as a given, and putting in a drive toward working around it.

In some situations this meant that sometimes people were guaranteed job interviews because they admitted to having a disability. In other cases there might be targets for job interviews centred around a target number of ethnic minorities who should be interviewed.

Because of things like this, “woke” became a pejorative term expressing contempt or disapproval. Woke viewpoints became seen as overly sensitive or even harmful in some instances. Usage of the word in this sense has been used to create greater divisions between people with different political standpoints and social views. This polarisation has been particularly marked online and in social media.

“Woke” as a contested term

With such a varied history of meaning, it should come as no surprise that the word “woke” is still hotly contested today. What was once a well-meaning term about being awake to prejudice and discrimination has become something of a political hot potato. Right wing political proponents started seeing “woke culture” as an overemphasis on social justice issues and a sense of “cancel culture”, where individuals are criticized or punished for perceived social transgressions.

Regardless of how well meaning the word woke and its accompanying hashtags may have once been, the term is now predominantly used to polarise discussions and create divisions between people with different political and social views.

The backlash against “woke” culture and its consequences

When “woke” culture is seen as a form of social control, you may appreciate that the culture is seeing some backlash. For example, people complained about the participation of transgender individuals among women in the recent Olympic games. Similarly, people also argue about people from ethnic minorities being perceived as getting unfair treatment in the workplace. There was also the issue of transgender individuals sentenced for sexual misconduct being placed in female only prisons. And the list continues.

Moreover, when this backlash takes place on our ever-connected online social media presence and algorithms, opinion becomes incredibly polarised and the rhetoric is divisive.

Donald J Trump is a prominent example of an anti-woke political figure because he put legislation in place that works against woke culture. For example, in response to rhetoric on gender fluidity, a concept that can be of high importance to the LGBTQ+ community, Trump ensured that in the United States, there are only two formerly recognised genders, specifically male and female.

Trump also undid a lot of the hard work accomplished by enthusiasts of woke culture by scrapping entire government departments dedicated to diversity, equality and inclusion.

When this article was written, it was too early to see how this anti-woke legislation works out on the world stage. However, it’s incredibly safe to say that many people disagree with Trump’s anti-woke views.

Final word

So, to summarise, the meaning of the word “woke” is hotly contested. It was once solely a term of empowerment and awareness within the Black community, but over time, it became used as a catch-all term for being “alert to social and/or racial discrimination and injustice”.

However, since the turn of the millenium, people have become more culturally sensitive, to the point where those who lean right on the political spectrum describe “woke” people as “snowflakes” and deriding their “cancel culture” and they see an overemphasis on political correctness and an inflated view of policies in diversity, equality and inclusion.

Thus, while many see the word “woke” as a political slur, a seemingly greater proportion of people see it as a necessary call for social awareness and change. Above all, “woke” culture is a sign of the times and an emblem of sorts to the concerns of current newer generations.

In order to determine what someone means by “woke” you will have to pay attention to the context in which it is being said, and how it is being said. It does mean “culturally sensitive” but some people take it to mean “too culturally sensitive”. As a society, cultural sensitivity will do more for us than its opposite.