It takes a lot of work to be woke, and I realize that I have not done all the work to wake up yet. I am still sleeping in, and I feel guilty about it. I feel like I’m consciously choosing to stay in bed and hit the snooze button so that I don’t have to wake up to everything that’s going on in the world.
Perhaps it’s fear, convenience, or a tendency to minimize, but I recognize that my privilege allows me to keep sleeping and keeps me numb to the news. While I do get very frustrated by the continual and repetitive instances of violence, racism, sexism and hate in our society, my privilege allows me to voice my disdain and concern from a distance—or to stay silent. I don’t want to admit to my silence, but if I’m honest, my privilege has been encouraging me to sleep in for my whole life.
I think most of us have been sleeping in. Why? We’re often stuck weighing the pros and cons of speaking out or taking a stand. Perhaps staying stuck in the “What ifs” rather than doing something—anything—is how we cope with double consciousness in a society in which privilege is power and a sleeping pill. It’s how we cope with knowing the world is unjust while simultaneously wanting it to be just and failing to leave our privilege behind in order to work towards justice.
Perhaps staying stuck in the “What ifs” rather than doing something—anything—is how we cope with double consciousness in a society in which privilege is power and a sleeping pill. Share on XFor those of you who may feel guilty about falling asleep, as I have at times, recognize and call out your fear and discomfort. It takes a lot of courage and sacrifice to be woke, and it requires us to be in a constant battle with our unconscious biases and with our tendencies to “other”. We have to continually try to live our authentic truths. Being woke means that we are willing to put ourselves out there for others, even when it’s not mutually beneficial or requires sacrifice.
Moving forward, I know that I will not always be ready to “wake up”, to cast off the privilege, to fight the biases. But, I am willing to try and am ready to support those who are already doing the work as best as I can.
I am not going to hit snooze. I can leverage my privilege. I can stay informed on injustices that touch the lives of so many people around the world. I can recognize the struggles of individuals different than me. I can educate myself and not rely on the summaries that others provide for me. I can study history. I can support causes. I can volunteer my time. I can talk to my children about the world. I can acknowledge the experiences of my cultural others. I can get comfortable with being uncomfortable. I can speak up when I see an injustice happening. I can be an ally.
I want to acknowledge that I am not woke yet, but I am on my way to being woke-ish. I am no longer going to sleep in.
Are you sleeping in? How can you 'wake up' to injustice? Share on X
