The Women of Woke-Washing

I’m deeply appreciative of the warm reception that the Harvard Business Review article has received. The weeks since its publication have been exciting— folks have reached out to talk more about “the woke-washing article”, clearly a reference to the title of the piece. The title emerged as part of the editorial process; admittedly, Marlette and I wanted to highlight the concept of statement fatigue (the working title of the piece was “Statement Fatigue is Upon Us” for a while). We wanted to cover the effects of statement fatigue on employees, as well as provide actionable strategies for what organizations could do to combat it. Woke-washing as a concept became a central idea to that discussion and—as we now know— a great title that drew folks in to want to further that conversation more.

However, I’ve been very intentional about highlighting the source of that particular woke-washing concept in my subsequent conversations about the piece. As far as I can tell, the term originated in Arwa Mahdawi’s 2018 article for The Guardian. This is important (1) to continue to center the other women of color whose thought leadership informed our article, and (2) to remind us that woke-washing is not new. Organizations have been attempting to “cash in on social justice,” as Arwa stated two years ago. You can read more from Arwa at The Guardian, and subscribe to her newsletter The Week in Patriarchy for Arwa’s regularly-curated updates.

In addition to Arwa’s piece, other notable women of color have written about woke-washing as part of their research. Dr. Francesca Sobande is a lecturer, researcher, and writer who explores issues concerning racism, sexism, structural inequalities, media, and the marketplace. She is the author of a number of scholarly works on this issue, including Woke-washing: intersectional ‘femvertising’ and branding woke bravery. Francesca’s book, The Digital Lives of Black Women in Britain, is forthcoming, and you can follow more of her work on her website or at Cardiff University, where Dr. Sobande is a lecturer in Digital Media Studies.

As more and more people continue to join us at the table for this important dialogue and subsequent action in response to racial and societal injustice, it’s critical to acknowledge the voices who’ve been part of this conversation, and to continue to look to women like Arwa and Dr. Sobande for the same type of brilliance and innovation that has in turn allowed us to continue this important work. When people approach me with their appreciation for “the woke-washing piece,” I take care to acknowledge the women who have been traveling this path before me, and I hope that others will do the same.