Woke: The Journey of a Word

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Matthew Syed traces the history of a term that's synonymous with our era of angry debate.

Matthew Syed traces the history of a term that's now synonymous with our era of angry debate.

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Woke: The Journey of a Word: 4. The Women's March

4. The Women's March

BBC Radio 4 - Woke: The Journey of a Word, 4. The Women's March

Matthew Syed traces the evolution of a term that's synonymous with our era of angry debate

Matthew Syed traces the evolution of a term that's synonymous with our era of angry debate. In this episode, how a viral photo at a protest helped change the word 'woke' forever.

Matthew Syed traces the origins and evolution of the word 'woke', a term that's become synonymous with our era of angry debate.

Once a watchword for African Americans in the early 1900s, 'woke' is now used as an insult across the political spectrum. As the word has spread, what people actually mean by it has become less clear than ever. In this series, Matthew follows the evolution of 'woke' through five key stories.

In this episode, Matthew looks into how the the adoption of 'woke' at the 2017 Women's March aided the term's movement away from black communities and into the mainstream. 

The day after the inauguration of Donald Trump, millions took to streets around the world to protest against the President's positions on the rights of women and other minorities. One photo became iconic from the march, a toddler with a banner round his neck reading 'I Love Naps, But I Stay Woke'. Matthew hears from Prisca Kim, the boy's mother, about the meaning behind the sign . Prisca tells Matthew how the image went viral and within days was being sold on t shirts and posters across the globe. He considers how the image formed part of a wider movement of 'woke' away from it's African American roots, asking how that impacted the word's meaning.

Featuring Prisca Kim and Aja Romano, Culture Writer for Vox.com

Presented by Matthew Syed and Produced by Sam Peach

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Woke: The Journey of a Word

4. The Women's March

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