“Wokeness” is a term that has become popularized and defined by current politicians. The term originally derives from African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and has historically been used by members of Black communities to remind each other to stay aware of racial injustice in the United States.

Since around 2020, however, the term has been used to more broadly describe awareness of social justice issues, and has thus also become an umbrella for conservatives to attack conversations relating to race and gender. I would argue that “wokeness” is not a real or useful term. Rather, it has become a way for politicians to restrict conversations about human rights by adding a negative connotation to people who are vocal about these issues. 

According to Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, “wokeness” might be one of the biggest threats to American society. Following his reelection in November 2022, DeSantis remarked, “We fight the woke in the legislature. We fight the woke in the schools…. We fight the woke in the corporations…. We will never, ever surrender to the woke mob.” He firmly stands against anything “woke,” especially as it relates to curriculums in schools in Florida, and across the country. “Wokeness” is clearly defined, in the conservative political realm, as something that is destroying American systems and the traditions that come with the distinctive American culture. Though I am a firm believer that “wokeness” does not exist, I do fear that some people who may not necessarily relate to racial, gender, or sexuality issues are extra cautious with the goal of being as woke as possible. This ultimately creates an environment where people are afraid to “mess up,” therefore preventing them from participating in these difficult discussions, particularly students. 

“Wokeness” is not necessarily an everyday term used in the classroom, but some people may classify various conversations as “woke.” What classifies something as woke? Is a conversation about LGBTQ+ rights woke? Is it woke to talk about the truths about slavery in America? What about women’s rights? The line between woke and educational is thin due to the way the term has been politicized. This has potential to create a divisive classroom environment depending on the opinions of students in the classroom. I have not noticed any changes in Wesleyan classroom discussions since this concept became apparent in the media, but I wonder if it’s because of my personal experience as a Black woman. I welcome discussions about race and its impact on history and economics, two subjects I study here. I wonder, though, if schools with different demographics of students experience “wokeness” differently than Wesleyan does. Despite these differences, I feel that restricting conversations about injustice is more damaging than not, even if the risk is being perceived as “woke” from a conservative standpoint.

In a Wall Street Journal article, Walter Russell Mead calls out the hypocrisy of wokeness following a critique on Biden’s plan to eliminate student loans. 

“Bureaucracies that demonstrate hypersensitivity on issues ranging from pronoun use and trigger warnings…while saddling students with tens of thousands of dollars in unpayable debt are exploiting their students, not helping them,” Mead writes.

In his analysis, Mead is concerned with too much focus on sensitivity and not enough on “real” issues that will impact students, like student loan debt. He proposes spending time on the systemic issue of debt among college graduates and spending less time on all the other stuff. While I understand his proposal, I believe the two can exist at the same time, but separately. Lots of journalists and politicians believe that the focus on diversity and other “buzzwords,” characteristic of modern ideas of “wokeness,” is preventing productivity in workplaces and schools and that the main goal of this focus is to cancel anyone who isn’t a hyper-savvy “social justice warrior.” I disagree with this one-sided, narrow perspective. 

In a different Education Week piece, Bettina L. Love provides a rebuttal to Mead’s analysis, particularly in public schools in America. 

“Lawmakers continue to invoke this false narrative to gain political power, to stir people into believing that public education is filled with policies and structures that disproportionately support children of color,” Love writes.

Love rejects the idea that this favoritism towards children of color even exists in American schools and urges readers to see through the political agenda that is wokeness. 

Wokeness is a term that has become the face of certain political movements and is used to silence those who are outspoken about social injustice. Some of the topics of conversation that are thrown under the category of “woke” belong in the category of history and human rights. However, I do acknowledge the importance of letting students form their own opinions and the ability to ask questions without feeling constricted to the opinions of professors and peers. I hope to see change in the discourse on these topics, and a collective burial of the word “wokeness.” 

Ada Carlston is a member of the class of 2025 and can be reached at acarlston@wesleyan.edu.