Thank you for your response. I cannot speak for everyone, but I can speak for myself. I am not the "vocal left" that you refer to. I am a Black woman concerned with the liberation of my people. Period. I do not politicize my people, our fight to stay safe in a world of white supremacy, or in our quest to be humanized.

Referring to people as left-wing and right-wing has its place, but not when human life is at stake. Humanity should never be partisan but unfortunately White conservatives have made it just that.

And yes, the Black community DID create the TERM "woke" obviously not the word. My parents were activists using that term in the 60's and 70's, long before any White person had uttered the word unless it related to a sleep pattern. We did not invent the WORD, but we DID invent the term. It was never meant to be used outside of our communities because like I stated in my article, it was a way for Black people to protect themselves.

White conservatives stepped in when it began growing momentum and when compassionate Whites began to join in. It became dangerous. How dare Black people stay informed! We spent centuries stripping them of their language and culture, restricting them from education, and now they have the AUDACITY to empower themselves??

The so-called transition of the word woke has nothing to do with White conservatives' lack of knowledge or overall confusion. As you stated, "the vocal left created the slang definition of the word woke". I replace "vocal left" with the Black community and you and I agree. We created this slang term for our own purposes just like other groups have their own terms as well. But it only seems to be a problem when Black people create and think for themselves.