Member-only story
“Woke” was Never the Problem
White Privilege Made it the Problem
“Stay Woke” was a phrase coined in the 1970s. It was a term born during the Black Power Movement and the rise of the Black Middle Class. Staying woke meant being aware of the racial actions and practices of white people. Black people needed to stay awake to racist shenanigans from white people.
There are always shenanigans from white people. The gatekeeping is enormous for them. They want our culture without us. We are not a monolith. Black people are varied and diverse. My people are in every part of the globe. We come in all hues and shades. Black people are their diasporic empire.
Now, white people treat “woke” as if it’s an attack on their whiteness. It’s not, but in the wake of Critical Race Theory backlash and book bans, “woke” is the new target. Whiteness doesn’t want us to know what they’re up to. When we are aware of their gaslighting and misdirections, we upend their plans against us.
Their plans can range from denying us jobs, health coverage, and mortgages. Black people often have to work two or three jobs in today’s economy. Everything is expensive! Electricity, gas, groceries, and other supplies cost too much. Black people live by the art of the hustle. We must hustle to survive.
Black people deserve the right to live their lives as they see fit. Blackness can exist without whiteness. White people can’t stand that! They want to be in our business, in our world, 24/7. Our existence is our right. We don’t wish whiteness to interfere with our growth.
Stay woke, my Black people!
