The Urban Dictionary definition of “stay woke” is “to keep informed of the shitstorm going on around you in times of turmoil and conflict.” It is often associated with movements such as Black Lives Matter, but is also being used with the resistance to the current administration.
Right before I left Milwaukee, I sang at the Unity Church in Elm Grove, and I’ve been back a couple of times since I moved away. (I get to make $100 and, between that and having a couple of lessons with Connie Haas, I can write off the trip as a business expense!) That church begins their service with a piece called “The Awakening.” The first words are:
WELCOME – WELCOME –
WELCOME TO YOUR AWAKENING
CHORUS: ANOTHER DAY ANOTHER WAY
I HAVE COME FOR MY AWAKENING
ANOTHER START FOR MY HEART
I HAVE COME FOR MY AWAKENING
Yeah. Corny. But it means something to the congregation, and that’s my job, to help them with that journey.
I’m trying to be more present, more mindful, and more aware in my life. Whether that is as a performer, as a teacher, as a director, or just as a puppy mama/person walking this planet.
It seems self-consciously hip (and smacks a bit of cultural appropriation) for me to say “stay woke.” But I’m going to try to open my heart, my mind, my eyes, and my ears so that I can stay aware and awake and receive what possibilities still lie ahead for me.