When the Trump administration this week put on hold grant, loan and other financial assistance programs, one of the reasons cited was to give White House staffers time to assess them for "woke gender ideology."
The memo was quickly rescinded after a federal judge paused it, but the new president made his funding priorities clear: Programs that support diversity, equity and inclusion programs, transgender issues and environmental justice will not get White House backing.
The word "woke" gets tossed around in political conversations and its meaning has changed over the years.
What does "woke" signify today?
What is the definition and origin of 'woke'?
The term "woke" used to have a different meaning. It was first used byPan-African activist Marcus Garvey as early as 1923. "Woke" was meant toacknowledge the strugglesof African Americans and was a word of empowerment for some Black people.
When theBlack Lives Matter movementbeganafter the police killing ofMichael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014, "woke"expanded outside of Black communities into the largerpublic lexicon and became co-opted or appropriated for various political agendas, the definition of the word has evolved and come to mean different things to different people.
What do conservatives mean when they say 'woke'?
The term woke has been used by conservative figures as pejorative term to describe the following social justice initiatives:
- LGBTQ rights:A movement advocating for the equal treatment and elimination of discriminatory policies hurting lesbian, gay,bisexual,transgenderandqueerpeople,according to Britannica.
- Gender-affirming care:Access to services such as mental health, medical, surgical and nonmedical services for nonbinary and transgender people, according to theOffice of Population Affairs.
- DEI/diversity, equity and inclusion measures:A form of hiring and employee retention meant to reduce biases and improve the accessibility of jobs for disenfranchised minorities. Companies such asHarley-Davidsonand Tractor Supply have facedboycotts over these measures.
- Critical race theory:A social and intellectual movement that studies the relationship between race, racism and power, as described by theorists Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic in their book,“Critical Race Theory: The Cutting Edge.”
How is the term 'woke' viewed?
A USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll from March 2023 demonstrates the varying ideas for what "woke" means among Americans between Republicans and Democrats.
Of those surveyed, 56% percent say the term means"to be informed, educated on and aware of social injustices." That includes not only three-fourths of Democrats but also more than a third of Republicans. Overall, 39% say the word reflects what has become the GOP political definition, "to be overly politically correct and police others' words." 56% of Republicans agreed with this view.
The term will likely continue to be a point of contention.
'Woke culture' decried by Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs and Tesla CEO Elon Musk
For years, conservative activists, lawmakers and politicians have used the term "woke" as a slam against progressive values and liberalinitiatives.
Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs has previously warned Republicans against allowing a "woke" culture to flourish. He posted on X to say the "wokeness is weakness" and it has no place in schools or military. He didn't detail what he meant.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said his estranged daughterVivian Jenna Wilsonwas"killed" by the "woke mind virus"and claimed he was tricked into signing documents agreeing togender-affirming care proceduresfor her.
USA TODAY contributed to this report
