We asked Temple students what #StayWoke means to them

Why should you care about the identity of those who are considered marginalized in today’s society?

You’d only find a general definition of ‘stay woke‘ if you were to search it on Urban Dictionary. The more precise definition comes from the experience of “the shitstorm going around you in times of turmoil and conflict, specifically when the media is being heavily filtered such as the events in Ferguson Missouri in August 2014.”

Honorables of Color Meeting

Temple students may or may not often classify sociopolitically tense situations which occur on campus as ‘shitstorms.’

In fact, it depends on how they see the world, because to be quite honest when I see a TU Alert which says “Suspect: Male, African-American Wearing Grey Hoodie and Dark Jeans,” based on my personal experiences coming out of ‘stop and frisk Brooklyn‘ I immediately experience a sense of warranted fear in that moment.

The truth is students of color and students who embrace their sexually fluid identity, will always have empathy with regards to marginalization.

Think about where you are and how you classify someone and think about the tense situations which occur on Temple’s campus. Whether it’s the discussion regarding the fools who drew the swastika and n-word in public just recently or the fact the university would profoundly ignore the opinions of the community of North Philly and consider building a stadium without the consent of the greater community of North Philadelphia, it’s wrapped into to idea of ‘Stay woke.’

I’ve reached out to a group of students within Temple’s Honors College known as ‘The Honorables of Color’ and I asked them what ‘stay woke’ means to them.

GVGK Tang, Junior, History & Sociology, Minor in LGBT studies

“To me, #StayWoke is a call to action. It means being aware of one’s environment – not just the immediate surroundings, but the big picture and the interconnectedness beneath its surface. Staying woke is like being Neo in the Matrix. Most people take life at face value, but the ability to understand why things are the way they are is something special. It’s important to recognize the power dynamics through which our lives are defined and controlled. Not being #Woke is the easy way out (especially for the privileged). Ignoring what’s going on – or just being unwilling to listen and learn from open dialogue – is something people fall into because it’s convenient. 

“Diversity University has diverse perspectives – it’s also invisibly stratified (socially, politically, economically and, thus, academically).  Further, the demographic diversity – and cognizance – of Temple’s faculty and administration is not consistent with that of its student body (and certainly the North Philly community at large), which leads to conflicting messages as to the university’s “progressive” atmosphere.”

Nadira Goffe, Sophomore, English, Concentration on Creative Writing

“#StayWoke to me, means being aware of your position as a minority (or others as a minority) and being aware of how minorities got to be in the position that they are in and what perpetuates the hierarchy of opportunity and power which does not benefit minorities. Also, being open and interested in learning more about the history of systematic oppression, racism, etc. Continuing to remember this knowledge you have and applying it to life, like recognizing how a viewpoint comes from racism etc., is what differentiates being #Woke and Staying #Woke.

“To not be #Woke is to be ignorant to the fact racism still exists, systematic oppression still affects the daily lives of minorities in small and big scales and not being open to someone telling you about it or making you aware. Or, people who know this but choose to ignore it or do anything about it or speak on it.

“I wouldn’t say Temple is a #Woke school. Although it’s claimed to be a very diverse school, it’s still predominantly white and the various people with various backgrounds that go here tend to operate within their own circles. Also, I don’t feel like our Race & Diversity gen eds are structured enough to help the situation and people don’t always pay attention in those classes. For example, remember the incident a few days ago where someone wrote a swastika and the N-word on the snow on someone’s car? There were people from Temple on Facebook who didn’t think it was that offensive! To not understand why that would and should hurt certain groups of people is an example in which Temple is not #Woke.”

Christopher Persaud, Junior, Sociology and French

“For me, #StayWoke represents how necessary it is for marginalized groups (especially black people) to be critical thinkers about the society we live in. As a black gay man, my whole life has been a series of moments in which I had to become more #Woke. Any media I consume, any book I read, any classroom conversation I have, I’m always learning something and unpacking things a little bit more.

“Not being #Woke means you are going through life with blinders on. And for most of us, especially those who live at the intersections of multiple oppressed identities, that can can quite literally get you killed. Or at the very least, you just look dumb. I think Temple students tend to be pretty engaged on social media, but I don’t know if I’d say we’re a #Woke school. Who are we referring to? Minorities? Sure, maybe we have a dope collective, a couple dance crews which slay, and an Af-Am Studies department, but I don’t know if that means the whole student body is paying attention. I’ve heard anti-black comments from other racial/ethnic minorities on campus. I’ve been in the room with other black folk who are quick to distance themselves from LGBT/queer people, as if you know…black queer people don’t exist.

Gaelen McCartney, Senior, Fibers and Materials Studies

“#StayWoke means being aware of what’s going on around you, but also being able to have conversations about it. It means you’re able to recognize what is going on in your community and in society no matter what group of people it might be affecting. To me, it means not being afraid to ask questions and learn about what’s going on around you. It’s about recognizing the oppression your peers may be facing. It’s about not being afraid to stick-up for what you believe needs to be said no matter what your race, gender, sexuality, religion, etc.

“Not staying #Woke is understanding your privilege in society and staying right there. Basically owning your privilege and standing still. It isn’t recognizing what is going on around you, and i’m not sure what that really makes of you as a member of society.

“It’s hard for me to tell whether Temple is a #Woke school. There are times where I believe Temple is understanding about what is going in this world, and in society. But I also start to question wether it’s Temple University which is aware or just the Temple student body. I am confident that a good portion of our student body is aware of what’s going on, but i’m not sure if some of them are doing everything they can to challenge it. I feel we need to educate our students more about diversity and culture and really the community we live in. I know many students who are afraid of our community members when really they’re people just like us.

“All it takes is a smile and a simple hello. I believe we are more #Woke than other universities, but we ourselves still have a long way to go.”