DERAY MCKESSON, a modern-day civil rights activist, came to speak to the leaders of Condé Nast that same year, he said, “We are not born woke. But rather, there are moments of awakening for each of us.” While the term “woke” became a defining term of 2016, I appreciated his refreshing explanation, which clarified that “wokeness” doesn’t work like a light switch. You don’t just turn it on and boom, “You’re woke!” Instead, it is a process of learning, listening, stripping away the blinders that privilege puts on, and exposing yourself to suffering that doesn’t always affect you in order to act
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