Accent Magazine | Summer 2021

Stay Woke

Written by Neumann University | Jun 19, 2021 10:12:01 PM

Are you woke? Shanice Boyd is, and she’s on a mission to make others as aware of injustice as she is. The junior hosts Stay Woke, a weekly 98.5 WNUW radio program to educate listeners about instances of bigotry and racism. “I want people to be aware of what the Black community goes through,” says Boyd, a Communication and Digital Media major.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines “woke” as “alert to injustice in society, especially racism.” Its popularity has increased in the last decade, sparked by a sequence of incidents that brought attention to the treatment of young Black Americans by police.

Boyd’s show applies the dictionary definition to actual events. “Every Monday I dedicate my show to a different Black American who was wrongfully accused, wrongfully convicted, or wrongfully murdered by law enforcement.”