By Carla Thomas
The Truth Contributor
I saw a T-shirt recently that read: “Woke is not the insult you think it is.” And I paused. Because somewhere along the way, “woke” went from being a warning to our people, a sacred call to stay alert, to becoming a punchline for the powerful and a slur flung at those who dare to speak truth. Somehow, the very word that once shielded us has been twisted into something shameful.
And too many of us have started to believe the lie.
But let me remind you: Woke is ours. It was born from struggle. It lives in resistance. And it still matters.
Where “Woke” Really Comes From
Long before it made headlines, woke was part of our vernacular. It meant to be “awake to injustice.” It was a word passed down as a warning: stay woke. Stay alert to the systems designed to deceive you, contain you, erase you.
As early as the 1930s, the blues artist Lead Belly sang, “I advise everybody, be a little careful when they go along through there—stay woke, keep their eyes open.” Decades later, civil rights leaders echoed the sentiment without always using the word. And yes, Marcus Garvey’s Pan-African teachings shouted, “Wake up Ethiopia! Wake up Africa!” A decolonial demand for global Black consciousness, a mental awakening, a shedding of colonial lies to embrace Black truth and power. Woke has always meant survival.
When Awareness Became a Threat
In recent years, something has shifted. “Woke” didn’t just get popular—it got hijacked.
The right turned it into a scary word. Florida’s 2022 Stop WOKE Act tried to ban schools and workplaces from even discussing systemic racism or privilege. (A federal court keeps pushing back.) Republican campaigns slap “woke” on anything that smells like equity—books, history, even Black cartoon characters.
Mainstream media followed suit. Articles from The Guardian to ABC News detail how “woke” has become a dog whistle. A way to say, “too Black,” “too honest,” “too free,” without saying it outright.
And somehow, the slander stuck. Even in our own communities, to be called “woke” can feel like a side-eye. Like you’re trying too hard, too radical, too Afrocentric—too much. But think about it: criticizing a Black person for being too Afrocentric—as opposed to what? Eurocentric? That’s not only ridiculous; that’s a symptom of colonial conditioning. It shows how deeply white supremacy has shaped our thinking when centering our own culture feels extreme.
But why is this? Why is Black awareness always painted as extreme? Because a fully aware Black mind is a threat to the systems that maintain oppression.
What Woke Actually Means Today
I say this unapologetically: I am woke, and proud of it.
Woke means I recognize the microaggressions that try to chip away at my spirit on a regular basis, and I refuse to excuse them anymore.
Woke means I no longer conform to fit the narratives of white supremacy.
Woke means I see how colonized religion has been used to keep us in spiritual bondage, and I seek ancestral truth instead.
Woke means I understand that the systems harming us were designed to do just that. And I make decisions rooted in that awareness.
To be woke is not to be angry or hostile. It’s to be aware. And when awareness leads to action, that’s when change begins.
Why They Want Us Asleep
Let’s be real: we’re not called angry because we’re irrational. We’re called angry when we stop being agreeable. We’re labeled militant when we stop shucking and jiving and start challenging systemic power.
They mock “woke” for fear of what happens when we awaken. I believe when we as Black people awaken—fully, deeply, spiritually, and politically—we tap into a power no system can contain. We stop waiting for permission. We question what no longer serves us. We create what we need. We reclaim our stories, our brilliance, our future—on our own terms.
This isn’t about what threatens them. It’s about what frees us.
Are You Asleep… or Are You “Woke”?
You know you’re asleep when:
- You think representation equals liberation, while the policies stay the same.
- You believe we’ve “come far enough,” even though oppression just got better at hiding.
- You’re so busy trying to prove you belong or that you’re “good enough,” you don’t have space to question who decided the standards in the first place.
- You swallow microaggressions daily, just to avoid being labeled “angry” or “too much.”
- You believe that silence is the safest and smartest response to injustice.
- Your rituals shame you, your faith cages you and you still call it salvation.
- You forget the land you stand on and ignore the ancestors who whisper the truth.
Waking up isn’t just about awareness. It’s speaking up when the lie tells you to stay quiet. It’s disrupting what was never meant to serve us. It’s choosing to see clearly, even when comfort begs you not to.
Reclaim the Word. Reclaim Power.
So nope, woke is not the insult they think it is. It’s a sign that we’re paying attention. That we’ve shaken off the fog. That we know our worth and won’t let anyone redefine it.
Woke is remembering the brilliance of our ancestors. It’s seeing through the false narratives. It’s rejecting the lie that our awareness is something to be ashamed of.
We can’t afford to be anything but woke. Not in this anti-Black world.
Stay woke.