Getting Woke

When I was younger I used to love singing our national anthem, I don’t really remember why, just that I was really proud of myself when I finally remembered all the lyrics. Or so I thought. I recently watched the MLK themed episode of Black-ish, “Lemons”, which mainly discusses how people are coping after Donald Trump winning the presidency. I have always liked this show because it’s a comedy that talks about actual racial and social justice issues happening in America today (last year there was an episode dedicated to police brutality on unarmed Black men). This episode in particular focuses on how one of the main characters, Junior, gets “woke” after learning there’s more to Martin Luther King’s speech besides the main “I have a dream” section and learning the entirety of the Star-Spangled Banner. Getting “woke” is essentially becoming aware of the social injustices pertaining to race and inequality happening in the world. At the beginning of the quarter we talked about whether or not people have an excuse not to know what is going on in the world, especially with the technology we have at our fingertips. And, I think that although most people in America at least have this available technology, they might not all know what to look for and how to read between the lines. I thought of myself as being pretty enlightened as to what has happened and what is happening, but I realized that I am actually still learning.

So in the episode “Lemons”, it is mentioned that there are actually four verses to the national anthem not just one, and that in the third verse the song references the killing of slaves. After watching the episode, I pulled out my computer and actually looked up the lyrics to the “Star-Spangled Banner” since I had never assumed there was anything more than what we sang. In the third verse it actually states: “No refuge could save the hireling and slave, From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave, And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave, O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

After learning about these lyrics, I am very surprised that we use this song as our national anthem and as a rallying cry for patriotism. Some websites claim that these lyrics are being taken out of context and actually refers to American slaves that the British had. But I think that is just a sad defense that people came up with to uphold the song’s patriotic value. At first I didn’t really understand why professional athletes like Colin Kaepernick and Brandon Marshall were kneeling while the song was being played. Now I do. The police brutality and oppression that people of color still face today has been in a constant theme in American history. And the fact that the song celebrates the murder of African Americans, is something that resonates with what is still happening today. So, I do see why the national anthem should not merit a show of support and patriotism. And, I think that people are so outraged that people are sitting and kneeling during the anthem is that they don’t realize there is more to the song than the first verse.

I think the big question I had after all this is why don’t they teach us this in school? We are only taught the first verse with no mention to the fact that there are actually four in total. Maybe more people than I think actually do know all the lyrics, but I know in my bubble of friends and family that is not the case. I talked with quite a few of them and asked if they knew about this and they all said no and were pretty surprised when I mentioned the lyrics in the third verse. This echoes what we are taught about the founding of this country, the Declaration of Independence, the 13th amendment, and so on. In school we are taught a one sided selected history of our country, with hardly a mention of the many Native Americans that were killed for their land, the fact that basically all the writers of the Declaration of Independence were slave owners, and that the main goal of the 13th amendment was not to abolish slavery. Our misconstrued history, is starting to become all too evident, and I am astounded that it is still being taught in this way.

I think this issue of not knowing what is going on in the world, is mainly evident of white people. Privilege gets in the way and causes people to be ignorant of the realities that people of color face. I know from first-hand experience that this is true because I’ve had the debate of “black lives matter” versus “all lives matter” with a family member, and it is not that they do not have a good heart, they just do not get it no matter how many times I’ve explained. I’ve sent them articles and videos explaining the difference between the two and how the “all lives matter” movement is actually harmful to the “black lives matter” movement. It is an ongoing conversation we have had for a while and they still do not get it. It takes time to get people to change their way of thinking that they have had for so long, but it is not a topic I intend to give up and I can only hope that one day my words will actually get through and open their eyes.

I think to actually get woke and stay woke, one needs to not only understand what is happening in the present, but be aware of our history. Like they say, those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it. Once you become woke and recognize the injustices occurring it is then your job to do more research and figure out how you can do to help. It is an ongoing process, and I know that I am still in that process of learning. White people need to listen to stories that people of color have about racism and take that next step to become allies and help fight inequality. In a perfect world, of course everyone would be equal, but our world is far from perfect so we need to do what we can to help each other out. Some people are under the illusion that inequality no longer exists, but they are delusional. I mean this can easily be seen by the disproportionate incarceration rates of people of color, the shooting of unarmed black men, racial slurs that still dominate headlines, and so on.

In class we have already started the process of learning the secrets behind our history and how it still hasn’t changed much in the present. We need to spread our knowledge and help others become aware as well. I mean maybe people have friends that are all already aware, but I know that at least for me that isn’t the case. I like being able to tell my friends what was discussed in class and in our readings because it allows me to spread the word and hope that in turn they do as well. Like I said the first step to becoming woke is to learn our history of injustice and inequality, and how it pertains to the world today, and the next step is to take action.

-Molli Vallario