Rep. Barbara Lee schools Republicans about what ‘woke’ means with resolution

“Let’s be clear: MAGA extremists aren’t misunderstanding this word, they are intentionally weaponizing it against us,” said Lee in an exclusive statement to theGrio.

U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., introduced a resolution this week in the U.S. House of Representatives in an attempt to educate Republicans on the true meaning of “woke” and its connection to Black culture.

The resolution seeks to “affirm” the ‘‘woke’’ term and its “historical connection to Black history, Black liberation movements and social justice.”

“Woke is deeply connected and rooted to Black history and our fight for social, racial, and economic justice,” Lee said in an exclusive statement to theGrio. “Let’s be clear: MAGA extremists aren’t misunderstanding this word, they are intentionally weaponizing it against us. There is a 400-year history of language being used to divide and conquer our people.”

The longtime California congresswoman, who in the 1970s volunteered for the Black Panther Party in Oakland, told theGrio she introduced the resolution so that the congressional record could “characterize the real meaning of this word that is continuously being misused and misrepresented by extremists to tear us down, rather than lift us up as it was intended to do.”

For years, the term “woke” has been a target of Republican lawmakers in their attempts to criticize and dismantle laws and programs related to racial justice or diversity, equity and inclusion. 

In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill called the “Stop WOKE Act,” which prohibited businesses and schools from teaching concepts related to race or racism. DeSantis and other Republican leaders argued that a “woke ideology” was indoctrinating children and discriminatory to white people. Some conservatives have gone as far as taking legal action against racial equity programs in business and education.

Lee’s resolution calls out Republicans and the media for misusing the term “woke” as a “trendy new slang, eroding its cultural connection and separating the term from its historical grounding in social justice.” It also specifically calls out DeSantis’ “Stop WOKE Act” for “targeting the teaching of United States history and Black educators.”

The resolution is endorsed by the NAACP and mirrors the civil rights organization’s resolution affirming the term “woke.” 

As does the NAACP resolution adopted in 2023, Lee’s congressional resolution notes that “woke” has existed in Black culture since at least the early 1900s. In 1940, Black mine workers used the term while advocating against discriminatory pay. The term was also used by famed scholar and Pan-African activist Marcus Garvey, who notably said, ‘‘Wake up Ethiopia! Wake up Africa!” in his attempt to unite people of African descent.

“Educating the public and ushering in a truth movement in this country is essential to reparative justice for our communities,” Lee said about the importance of her resolution. “Staying woke means staying vigilant against injustice everywhere and not allowing MAGA extremists to perpetuate it.”

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