Islam: The rise of 'woke' culture, or maybe, how it really is
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines “woke” as being 1. “aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice). And 2. Disapproving: politically liberal (as in matters of racial and social justice) especially in a way that is considered unreasonable or extreme.”
But how did “woke” go from the first definition to the second definition? Over and over during the legislative session, I heard legislators use “woke” as the second meaning: disapproving in a way that is considered unreasonable or extreme/liberal. But does becoming aware of racial and social justice issues in and of itself make it extreme or unreasonable? It seems that those who use the second definition would say yes.
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I was born and raised in mid-Michigan and went to Missouri Synod Lutheran schools from grades six through 12. My parents, being immigrants from Bangladesh, did not know much about U.S. History. When I came home from school, they never asked me about what I learned in history, nor did they offer more context of what I was learning. But they lived through the worst genocide in world history, the elimination of Bengalis from East Pakistan, which is now Bangladesh. Their truth is different from that of the oppressors, and they made sure to teach me that.
Today, though, I find myself assuring my two boys, who are in second and sixth grades, understand the truth of American History. I add context of Native American genocide and African American slavery and its impact on our society, and systems that govern our lives today. Why? because I believe that is our reality. During Black History Month, on our family movie night I chose “Ruby Bridges” on Disney+, the same movie a parent in St. Petersburg, Florida complained about and asked their school to stop showing elementary students, because the parent feared the “film might teach children that white people hate Black people.” Well, they did then, and many still do.
Ruby Bridges was a 6-year-old Black girl who attended an all white public elementary school in New Orleans in 1960, after segregation was found unlawful. The movie is scary. Watching adults, children, teachers, principals treat a 6-year-old with spit, death threats and seclusion in the school is unfathomable but cannot be denied. And my 8-year-old did get scared, and we talked about it. We talked about:
How brave it was for Ruby to go to school every day
How brave it was for her parents to want her to have the best education
How brave it was for her teacher to make sure she was safe when no one else in the school did
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We also talked about how far we have come with the great diversity and inclusion of students we have in our public schools in Sioux Falls.
Understanding the real history of the United States is what in fact grows my love for my country, and I want my kids to love our country for who she truly is, not who we fairy tale her to be.
From a young age, I have been privileged to travel to 12 countries. The harshest and most blatant discrimination I faced was when I studied abroad in Israel my junior year of college. My semester in Israel and Palestine taught me how racism, discrimination and inhumanity exists in all places.
Two of us in the group faced harsh discrimination regularly as we crossed borders into the West Bank, Gaza and Israel proper during our semester. I was the only Muslim in the group and my colleague was the only Palestinian Christian. Every time we crossed borders, 18-year-old IDF soldiers would enter our minivan, ask for our passports, and every time they would point their AK-47 at me and taunt me by saying, "Islam....That's your last name, you can't really be an American...."
We never talked about these moments as a group, but it surely influenced our group's understanding of the deep-seeded racism there. When my plane’s wheels touched down at Chicago O’Hare International Airport after a semester there, I burst into tears, because I knew I wouldn’t have to encounter IDF soldiers and that even with our dark history of slavery, genocide of Native Americans and continous systemic racism, we have made progress, and we need to continue to do so.
As we progress in our understanding of how racism, slavery and genocide impacts our society, it becomes necessary to acknowledge it, sit with it and figure out what we are going to do with it. Those who are scared to understand the truth cannot be the ones who curtail this progress.
Those who are not equipped to have the conversation with their 8-year-old, or their 40-year-old self, cannot be the reason why we cannot acknowledge these horrific events actually happened.
History is written by the “victors,” but the truth lies with the oppressed.
Taneeza Islam, executive director of South Dakota Voices for Peace and an immigration attorney. And this column is part of an ongoing series of perspectives, called "Speaking Truth to Power," written by voices from a cohort of community leaders and residents weighing in on social issues and current events in South Dakota. The goal is to elevate voices from a diverse group of individuals by challenging issues through different views to contribute to ongoing community conversations.
Editor's note: "Speaking Truth to Power" columns will now run monthly, given the 2023 legislative session has ended. For more information, email News Director Shelly Conlon at sconlon@argusleader.com.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Islam: The rise of 'woke' culture, or maybe, how it really is
