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Troy Nahumko is an award-winning author based in Caceres, Spain. His recent work focuses on travels around the Mediterranean, from Tangier to Istanbul. As a writer and photographer he has contributed to newspapers and media such as Lonely Planet, The Boston Review, The Globe and Mail, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Toronto Star, Counterpunch,The Irish World, The Straits Times, The Calgary Herald, Khaleej Times, DW-World, Rabble and El Pais. He also writes a bi-weekly op-ed column 'Camino a Ítaca' for the Spanish newspaper HOY. His book, Stories Left in Stone, Trails and Traces in Cáceres, Spain is published by the University of Alberta Press.As an ESL materials writer he has worked with publishers such as Macmillan and CUP.

Friday, July 18, 2025

Time to Get the Lead Out


They’ve turned “woke” into a punchline — something to mock, dismiss, or roll your eyes at. Why? Because it's easier to discredit the word than reckon with what it actually means.

“Woke” was never about arguing over coffee orders or policing T-shirt colors. It wasn’t about trends, lifestyle choices, or the internet’s latest moral panic. It meant being awake. Aware. Eyes open to injustice, ears tuned to warning signals. Watching out not just for yourself, but for others. Because danger doesn’t always knock — sometimes it creeps.

And let’s be clear: this isn’t about someone else’s rights, or problems that belong to other people in far-off places. What’s coming isn’t targeted — it’s sweeping. The erosion is real, and it’s accelerating. They're not just coming for "them." They're coming for you, too.

The forgetting is deliberate. The ridicule is strategic. That’s why remembering matters.

So best listen to Huddie Ledbetter , Lead Belly, who said it plain: ‘Stay Woke.’

Because they always come in the dark, and asleep is exactly what they’re counting on.

Click over to read more in my latest article at CounterPunch.

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