Y3-M8-L6 WELCOME TO WOKE

Sermon synopsis: The word ‘woke’ began appearing in the early 1900s and was derived from a dialect known as African-American Vernacular English (AAVE). ‘Woke’ initially referred to being alert to racial prejudice and discrimination.

The word was first printed in a 1962 New York Times essay, “If You’re Woke You Dig It” by William Melvin Kelley and Mirriam-Webster added the word to its dictionary in 2017.

In the 2010s it came to encompass broader perceived social inequalities, such as sexism and LGBT rights.

The word ‘woke’ became entwined with the Black Lives Matter movement. Instead of just being a word that signaled awareness of injustice or racial tension, it became a word of action.