Woke is a slang term that has made its way into the mainstream from some varieties of African American English. In AAE, awake is often rendered as woke, as in, “I was sleeping, but now I’m woke.” Woke is an adjective derived from African-American English used since the 1930s or earlier to refer to awareness of racial prejudice and discrimination, often in the construction stay woke. When a practice is identified as “woke,” there is an implication that the non-woke practice is better or at least equally good.

Understanding the Context

Originally, woke came from Black American vernacular and meant exactly what it sounds like: being awake. As in, aware. Paying attention. Specifically, being conscious of racial injustice and the...

Key Insights

You Hear It All the Time, But What Does “Woke” Actually Mean? One word has become unavoidable on the campaign trail — woke. But what does it really mean and where does it come from? The word has a long and serious history in Black culture. What does the word 'woke' really mean, and where does it come from?

Final Thoughts

- NPR It was first used by Pan-African activist Marcus Garvey as early as 1923. "Woke" was meant to acknowledge the struggles of African Americans and was a word of empowerment for some Black people.