{"id":48429,"title":"WOKE: What do you call a wolf that is woke? An awarewolf.","description":"The word \u201cwoke\u201d has a long and complex history. Originally a rallying call to be alive to racial injustice, it\u2019s since been used to batter and bolster different groups of people along the way to our understanding of its use in 2025.","content":"

\"zfeskhjfm5kpvtzz3q8yiyaxzeldsgaejzd3gmafhm6duox1.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=auto\"The word \u201cwoke\u201d has a long a complex history, rooted deeply in Black American language, as a call for awareness and vigilance in the face of social and racial injustice. One of the earliest documented uses of woke in this context appeared in a 1962 New York Times article by William Melvin Kelley, titled \u201cIf You\u2019re Woke, You Dig It.\u201d Kelly, a Black American novelist and journalist, captured the term as it was being used within African American communities to mean \u201cawake\u201d to the realities of systemic racism and inequality. It was a call to remain conscious, informed and critical of structures that perpetuate oppression - an early rallying cry that urged people not to accept the status quo. Elijah Watson wrote an excellent piece for Okayplayer about William Kelley in 2022, which you can read <\/span>here<\/u><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>

\"k2krtvlejo2ypl0j763k5q6ph4m5aonrna9g1xof1rd5aa5j.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=auto\"Over time, woke became shorthand for a broader social consciousness, not just around race, but also around gender, class, identity and the environment. In activist spaces, it signified being alert to injustice, standing in solidarity with marginalised communities and taking action. However, as the term gained wider usage, especially through social media and mainstream culture, it was gradually detached from its original roots and given new meaning by those seeking to discredit progressive values.<\/p>

In recent years, woke has been weaponised by certain political and media figures, used mockingly to describe progressive ideals as excessive, performative or even dangerous. The term has been co-opted and turned into a buzzword for everything from corporate diversity efforts to basic calls for human rights, often with a tone of ridicule. This cynical repurposing has served to undermine the very movements it once uplifted, reducing legitimate struggles for equity to punchlines or political scapegoats.<\/p>

\"xb5igdwu2uq5pvuf91aqppkm3g6xswal15ndoood3gfrlcya.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=auto\"Yet despite these distortions, there\u2019s a growing effort to reclaim woke, to restore its original power as a symbol of resistance and awareness. When we use woke in its truest form, we\u2019re honouring the legacy of people like William Melvin Kelley and generations of activists who urged us to stay awake to injustice. It\u2019s about recognising that being woke isn\u2019t an insult, it\u2019s a commitment. A commitment to empathy, to truth-telling, to justice. Reclaiming woke is about remembering that it began as a survival tool, a lifeline and a spark for change. And it still can be.<\/p>","urlTitle":"woke","url":"\/blog\/woke\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/woke\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/mymanifesto.co\/blog\/woke\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1744708170,"updatedAt":1756738870,"publishedAt":1756738869,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":337118,"name":"MANIFESTO"},"tags":[],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/c1ynyt9rqawfskwz92flwce2q5yu56ts40ohb9rrrwderupp.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/c1ynyt9rqawfskwz92flwce2q5yu56ts40ohb9rrrwderupp.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/c1ynyt9rqawfskwz92flwce2q5yu56ts40ohb9rrrwderupp.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"","metaDescription":"","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":49406,"title":"FILTHY RICH IN BLOOM: Who is the Chelsea Flower Show really for?","url":"\/blog\/filthy-rich-in-bloom\/","urlTitle":"filthy-rich-in-bloom","division":337118,"description":"Attempts at accessibility notwithstanding, the Royal Horticultural Society\u2019s flagship show is still an elitist preserve. However, bridging the green gap is making headway with less publicised community organisations\u2026","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ie5a95hfhmkdxy6rcrbdxqo898qpaoim1bn00s1jhcw697wb.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ie5a95hfhmkdxy6rcrbdxqo898qpaoim1bn00s1jhcw697wb.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":48743,"title":"FREE THE NIPPLE: More Than Just a Slogan","url":"\/blog\/free-the-nipple-more-than-just-a-slogan\/","urlTitle":"free-the-nipple-more-than-just-a-slogan","division":337118,"description":"At first glance, Free the Nipple sounds playful, but behind the slogan is a serious call for change, a fight against double standards, body shaming, censorship and the idea that some bodies are automatically \u201cindecent\u201d while others are just\u2026 bodies.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/juucll3tku1hkyvfjwt312hlhzwveogn8w4xogpt9djirqrv.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/juucll3tku1hkyvfjwt312hlhzwveogn8w4xogpt9djirqrv.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":48413,"title":"GENOCIDE: Are We Complicit Without Realising? Supporting Peace Through Consumer Action","url":"\/blog\/are-we-complicit-without-realising-supporting-peace-through-consumer-action\/","urlTitle":"are-we-complicit-without-realising-supporting-peace-through-consumer-action","division":337118,"description":"It\u2019s easy to feel powerless in the face of the current scale of international violence. Our blog gives a couple of small ways you can help which, together, could make a big difference","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/6zoyru4u07bj8dvbe7w0y5p45shumvft5egisg7fepkqe4i8.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/6zoyru4u07bj8dvbe7w0y5p45shumvft5egisg7fepkqe4i8.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}