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As a Democrat living in a red state, some of our politicians have taken to labeling me “woke” simply because I am a Democrat. While I admit to being woke in the sense that I acknowledge the occurrence of past and present social injustices, I resent the pejorative use of “woke” to mean that my recognition of these injustices is a very serious fault. If one does not learn from history, history is doomed to repeat itself.
On Columbus Day 2022 (and this is only one example), Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita tweeted from his office Twitter account: “Discovering America was like landing on the moon back then. We should resist the woke lefts [sic] attempts [sic] at canceling this history with a socialist viewpoint.”
Neil Armstrong did not claim he discovered the moon—he claimed making man’s first step on the moon. Christopher Columbus did not discover America but rather is claimed to be the first white man to walk on North American soil. As we have since learned, it is likely that first step of white men was made by the Vikings. So why shouldn’t we rewrite history when it is incorrect?
Last month, congressman Jim Banks, candidate for the U.S. Senate, wrote an opinion piece for the American Mind titled “Fighting the woke agenda in Congress” (you can read the article at americanmind.org/memo/fighting-the-woke-agenda-in-congress). Banks claims that Americans are living under a threat of a “creeping tyranny” and that “[t]he most toxic part of this tyranny is its doctrine—‘wokeness,’” which “means that all the so-called oppressor groups must be punished for their past and present alleged sins.”
According to Banks, punishment by the “left” can include “inducing self-hatred through indoctrination, stripping away their rights by not enforcing the laws on their behalf, public humiliation, hatred, expropriation, and ultimately violence.” He does not explain how acknowledging injustice leads to such punishments.
According to Merriam-Webster, “woke” can be a U.S. slang term meaning “aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice).” Merriam-Webster also states that “woke,” when used disapprovingly, means “politically liberal (as in matters of racial and social justice) especially in a way that is considered unreasonable or extreme.”
When Rokita and Banks declare all Democrats are politically liberal (another term undefined by either of them), they are declaring that all Democrats are unreasonable or extreme or “woke.”
We can learn from our history. For example, if we educate children about the rise of the KKK in Indiana, they will perhaps learn how to avoid social acceptance of prejudice. Our history shows that Hoosiers narrowly avoided the election of the KKK’s grand dragon as governor.
I miss the days of civil politicians such as Richard Lugar, Lee Hamilton, Evan Bayh and Mitch Daniels. I might not agree with all their political positions, but at least I knew they were not going to insult Hoosiers for simply being a Democrat or Republican. Instead, they focused upon issues and worked to build a consensus, recognizing that, without consensus, there can be no change. That is called leadership.
So upon reflection, the next time a politician refers to all Democrats as “woke,” I am going to proudly accept the title. They can say it as spitefully as they want, because I am “woke” to the fact that history has valuable lessons to teach us. I am simply a Hoosier Democrat (not a socialist) who wants to see good things happen for all Hoosiers.•
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Celestino-Horseman is an Indianapolis attorney. Send comments to ibjedit@ibj.com.
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