Language Matters
Language, Please is a free, regularly updated resource for anyone seeking to thoughtfully cover evolving social, cultural, and identity-related topics. Get started by browsing our Style Guidance, which contains detailed definitions and additional resources for hundreds of terms spanning seven main categories.
Term of the Day
Woke
The term “woke” was first used by Black Americans to describe the idea of waking up to systemic injustices and prejudices, and staying alert to how they manifest in everyday life. Use of the term dates back to as early as the 1930s, but by many accounts it was popularized via Erykah Badu’s 2008 song “Master Teacher Medley” and then spread into wider awareness via the #staywoke Twitter hashtag in the mid-2010s following the killings of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. If using the term “woke,” it’s important to keep in mind both its origins in African American vernacular and its current popular use largely on the political right as a derogatory catch-all term pushing back against movements for racial justice and other civil rights efforts.
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