Wokeness. How a concept became a political battleground

Send us Fan MailWokeness. How a concept became a political battlegroundNotes for a discussionSpoken and written by Tudor RickardsJanuary 13, 2025The widespread use of the term Woke has been attributed to the American folk and blues singer Huddie William Ledbetter (1888-2049), better known as Lead Belly. In his  performances to people of colour, he popularised the injunction ‘Stay woke’, (stay awake) to those injustices imposed on them. The term returned in the vocabulary of civil rights activists in America in the 2010s.  A tipping point was its use in the rise of the protest movement Black Lives Matter, in 2014 after the shooting of Michael Brown, by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Brown’s killing and the subsequent events became a national controversy touching on much larger national issues of race, justice, and police violence. Stay up-to-date with all of Tudor's podcasts, blogs and current affairs commentary by signing up to our newsletter! Email [email protected] to sign up!Follow Tudor on Twitter @TudortweetFollow Tudor's blogs:everydaycreativity.ukleaderswedeserve.wordpress.com