Walk Home Together

What is “woke”, anyway? It’s such a volatile word lately, used to denigrate and divide. I think there’s a severe disconnect between the right and left on what this word actually means. I’m trying to be fair here, so bear with me. 

Wikipedia says it’s “an adjective derived from African-American Vernacular English meaning ‘alert to racial prejudice and discrimination’”. 

That in itself shouldn’t be negative, right? Why is it so inflammatory? To be aware and attentive to others being treated as less-than seems like a good quality?

I think a closer definition of the word, at least as it’s mostly used these days, is a pejorative term to describe progressive ideals in our society becoming too invasive for some folks. I get it. I really do. Change is uncomfortable. It is so easy to fear what we don’t understand. 

Progress happens slowly, then all at once. I know my own parents went to racially segregated public schools. Women weren’t allowed to have their own bank accounts until 1974. Interracial marriage only became legal in 1967. Homosexuality was just officially decriminalized in 2003. None of this was that long ago.  

For some people, it might seem like we went straight from Mayberry to drag queen bingo and it’s just a bridge too far. I get it. It’s a big leap.

The slow, uphill trudge of the Civil Rights movement gathered speed and as it did, other marginalized people joined the momentum for equality as the last fifty or so  years have unfolded. It rankles some. Too much too soon, they say. The pushback has been aggressive and sometimes violent. I think we can all agree we are divided and on edge. The politicians, of course, are capitalizing on it. They encourage suspicion and fear. The further we split, the more power they have. 

But can we be honest at this point and admit most people using the word “woke” in this current context are being sarcastic? A winking nod intended to discredit and ridicule? Productive conversations can only be had when both sides speak respectfully. Of course, that goes for everyone. I’m against all cheap shots and easy marks. Being a condescending asshole is the easiest thing in the world, but meaningful dialogue requires both humility and intellect. 

The divide deepens each time we place each other on the other side of “woke”. And as we should have learned by now, a divided America is a weak one.

But I’m choosing to be positive. As a country, we are learning. Growing. Waking up, so to speak, to embrace the diversity that has always existed. Nobody wants more rights or representation than anyone else. Just equality. If that bothers you, well, that’s between you and your heart, I guess.

And as a wise person once said, “When we know better, we do better.” 

Who defeated the Nazis? Who freed the slaves? Fought for women’s suffrage? Who finally criminalized domestic abuse in America? 

Picture Ruby Bridges, five years old, on her first day of kindergarten. Who was taunting her, spitting on her? What’s the opposite of woke? 

Is a livable wage woke? 

Is the First Amendment woke?

Is it woke to feed the hungry? 

What feels right, in our souls? Helping, learning, accepting, integrating. Not withholding, fearing, dividing, judging, raging. We know this. A soft and open heart is a beautiful thing. 

Woke doesn’t sound crazy to me. It sounds like love and empathy for our fellow humans, even those whose lives we don’t understand. Woke sounds like compassion. Like humility. Like Jesus. 

As a wise person once said, “When we know better, we do better.”