Wake Up! Stay Woke
Dap Dunlap, Spike Lee's character in the movie School Daze, screams into the camera, "Wake Up!" as he attempts to get Black people to come together for a common cause. Waking up and staying woke are vastly different and not knowing the history of the term can unfortunately warp its original meaning beyond recognition. Dr. Lisa and Dr. Shaunna talk about staying "woke" as a phrase, staying woke to exploitation, and staying woke to gender inequity in sport.
Word of the Week [1:50]: Woke...and the definition probably isn't what you think.
Phase 1 [3:40]: The History of Woke. Per usual, the word "woke" has been stolen, co-opted, and oversimplified by white culture. Its first known usage was in 1930s musical traditions, reemerged as a popular term through the Black Lives Matter movement, and is often now used as political slur by "right-leaning" Americans to categorize anything that could be understood as socially progressive.
Phase 2 [16:19]: 911 Call Taker Burnout. If you've heard of air traffic controller burnout, similar challenges exist on the other end of a 911 call. Inconsistency and low standards for training, as well as very little support for these "administrative roles" are alarming to say the least. Efforts are underway to reclassify 911 workers from clerical staff to first responders so they can access the same benefits as other first responders who face traumatic situations in their work.
Phase 3 [28:50]: Thoughts and Prayers for the WNBA. With Caitlin Clark’s and Angel Reese’s elevation to the WNBA, the egregious wage discrimination experienced by players in the WNBA has been placed front and center in the spotlight. Excuses for this $50 million discrepancy in pay for women came thick and fast over the last week. Russell Wilson's tweet -- the equivalence of "thoughts and prayers" -- added fuel to the fire. Dr. Shaunna gets fired up addressing these gaps among professional ballers.
Articles referenced in the pod:
Timeline of the Word Woke - NACCP LDF
What does the word “woke” really mean? NPR
Wokeness History and Evolution - Vox
Where did “woke” come from, learn its musical history - AZ Central
911 Operator Staffing Shortages
911 Call Takers Referring to Alternatives
Efforts to Reclassify the 911 Workforce
Federal Government Bill to Reclassify 911 Workers: S.3556
911 worker reclassification map
