On Woke

As both Democrats and Republicans blame “wokeism” for the presidential election results, I came across the term’s origin. It traces back to blues singer Lead Belly’s 1938 song Scottsboro Boys, about nine Black teenagers falsely accused of rape in Alabama.

The lyrics include:

Stay woke, keep your eyes open wide,

The Scottsboro Boys are in jail,

They got no justice there.

My own “woke” roots run deep—I was still in junior high when my friends and I checked out Lead Belly albums from the library, straining to decipher the scratchy lyrics. Yet, the call for vigilance against injustice was unmistakable.

Though “woke” has become a pejorative buzzword, dismissing those who critique it misses the point. What I hear beneath the ridicule is: Show respect without forcing practices that feel confusing or unfair. I get it. As a teacher, I saw older students shamed for “misgendering” classmates, even as their legitimate memory struggles were dismissed.

One takeaway from the election? We need conversations that connect rather than divide—while keeping our eyes wide open.