Oklahoma Superintendent-elect Ryan Walters responds to uproar over viral 'woke Santa' tweet

State schools Superintendent-elect Ryan Walters rejected claims of racism sparked by a viral tweet he posted that included a picture of himself and his family posing with Santa Claus and proclaiming "No woke Santa this year :)."

On Twitter, where his viral post had been viewed nearly 40 million times since he posted it Thursday, many of the popular replies questioned what "woke" actually meant in the context of his post. Other users questioned whether Walters had a racial motive in making the post because the Santa Claus was white.

"Please define 'woke' as it pertains to Santa," tweeted one person in response.

"Pretty simple. He means: 'Black,'" replied another.

Walters, in a text to The Oklahoman, said that isn't true.

"It never surprises me that the left finds a way to take everything out of context," Walters wrote in the text message to The Oklahoman. "The assault on Christmas lives on today and I just appreciate a Santa that still says Merry Christmas :)."

State Rep. Andy Fugate, D-Del City, replied to the initial confusion over Walters' tweet, saying, "It’s easy to see the connection."

"The Santa in this picture is just as fake as all the conjured up concerns about 'Woke' happenings in schools," Fugate wrote.

When asked how he would respond to claims that his post was a statement about race, Walters wrote," That is an absolute dumb and insulting assertion."

The term "woke," has been an ill-defined culture war boogeyman of conservative politics and in particular, for Walters as he campaigned to be the state's schools chief this year.

The word first emerged in popular use over the past decade not by conservatives, but by the Black community and allies who encouraged people to recognize and remember that social inequality exists. By adopting the phrase themselves during the most recent election cycle, conservatives have used it in a more negative and provocative way to rail against the Black Lives Matter movement, the LGBTQ community and, in general, liberal politics.

Walters' post also comes amid a push in recent years to present more diverse embodiments of Santa Claus to represent communities of color, as well as controversy over the use of term "Merry Christmas" versus the more inclusive "Happy Holidays."

Walters' Facebook followers generally responded more favorably, with comments wishing him a Merry Christmas and thanking him for "standing up against the wokeness in our schools."

A former McAlester High School history teacher who was chosen as Gov. Kevin Stitt's education secretary before he ran for state superintendent, Walters has been a vocal critic of what he describes has "left-wing ideology" in public schools, and has promised to expand school choice and empower parents to make more decisions about how their children experience education.

Oklahomans are likely to see another strong push to massively shake up their education system when the Legislature returns to the Capitol in February. This could come in the form of vouchers, which allow public tax dollars to follow students who enroll in private schools, or in the expansion of charter schools, which are a version of public schools that are operated by a third party but must be sponsored by an existing school district, CareerTech, university, tribe or the state Board of Education.

The state's outgoing Attorney General John O'Connor recently opined that religious groups should be allowed to operate charter schools.

Walters will be sworn in as Oklahoma's next superintendent of public instruction on Jan. 9 alongside the governor and other statewide elected officials.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: "Woke Santa' tweet goes viral. Ryan Walters responds