What’s wrong with being ‘woke?’
To the editor:
The definition of “woke” in U.S. slang means “aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)” (Merriam-Webster). The opposite of that is to be unaware and uninvolved with facts and issues, especially those of racial and social justice. How did the GOP turn ignorance and apathy into a virtue?
Among conservatives, “woke” has been adopted as term of derision for those who hold social justice views that aim to represent the interests of ordinary people through political change. In Florida, the “Anti-Woke” bill is taking direct aim at the teaching of our racial history in Florida schools and workplaces, prioritizing employee or student “comfort” over historical fact.
These tactics may be a winning strategy for politicians, but it is a losing one for the American people. Being aware of the problems of injustice make us a better people, a people who care for the interests and needs of our fellows, pursuing the ideals of equal justice and fair play. An accurate look back at our history helps us to correct the problems of the past with fair solutions for the future.
Being tuned into the issues of injustice and inequality is humanitarian, not political.
Susan McGuire
Bokeelia