Woke is a cop out phrase used to establish status. To say, I know this and you don’t. I am more woke than you. I’m with all these other woke people over here. I’m woke and the work is done. I’m woke and that’s enough.
The way some folks view “woke” is that a light has turned on in what was previously a dark room and now all can be seen. No dark corners, no shadows, just light.
That is as privilege a statement as ever.
The light turning on is only the first step. Thinking that being “woke” is enough is like saying you have won the race because you found the best running shoes.
Anti-racism is a journey of awareness.
It is turning the light on and entering the room.
It is being brave enough to open those boxes that have been stored for years and looking at old, embarassing and unflattering pictures of yourself.
It is processing and unpacking, throwing away some and re-arranging contents.
It is moving that box and then realizing there is a trap door that was hidden in the shadows that leads to a whole other dark room where you need to do it all over again.
One can never fully be woke. It is a journey of fuzzy wakefulness with lots of eye rubbing and stumbling to find the light switch.
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