Mike McHargueJul 26, 2023

I don't know who needs to hear this, but the term "woke" didn't start with kids on Twitter.

The was first recorded by Lead Belly in the 1930s in a song called "The Scottsboro Boys," about the dangers Black Americans faced traveling through states in the Deep South. The original line was "best stay woke," as in, "remain aware of the dangers of racism."

Black communities shortened the term to "stay woke," over time, and eventually added "woke" as a state of being--or constant awareness.

Show threadMike McHargueJul 26, 2023
No matter how much white progressives or conservatives around the world co-opt or otherwise abuse the term, it's organs like with Black people, and its original context is quite wise.
Show threadJeramee

@mike

I knew that it originated during Jim Crow, but didn't know the specifics.

Thank you for helping us be better allies.

Jul 28, 2023 at 11:59amWeb