Last year, while aimlessly scrolling through my Instagram feed, I came across a funny and socially relevant post by someone called ‘That Woke Ladki’. Intrigued by the name, I checked out the account and found it to be all about raising awareness regarding injustice in our society like racism and sexism. Back then, it didn’t have a lot of followers, but given the bold and hard to ignore content on the page, I knew it was only a matter of time until it would blow up. And girl, was I right! Today, she has 19K followers on Instagram, and she is only going to get bigger and better over time. Let’s hear it from her on why she got started and what we all can do to become woke.
Who or what inspired you to become ‘That Woke Ladki’?
Ever since I’ve stepped into social justice advocacy, I’ve wanted to educate people about issues they don’t know about. I wanted to create a platform and community of people who’re looking to learn and unlearn things and help make this world a better place. Initially, it was very humor-based content but it slowly shifted towards a more educational format and I’m proud of that.
What does being woke mean to you?
It is no news that locally and globally speaking, we live in an unequal society. At every intersection of your identity as an individual and as a part of a bigger social group, you’ll discover how you are either an oppressor or you’re being oppressed by somebody else. Just being aware of that oppression and privilege along with trying to do something to erase it is what being woke means to me.
You support a lot of causes – from women’s issues to transgender rights. Which cause is most dear to you and why?
There is no dear cause per se. I believe that nobody is free until all of us are free. However, as a Savarna, queer, North Indian, and able-bodied cis woman who lives in urban New Delhi, my activism is influenced by my experiences and those of people around me.
As individuals and as a society, what will it take for us to become woke?
Start reading outside your prescribed syllabus, the government will never give you course content that is against them or makes you question them. Start observing and questioning thing closely, every tiny thing you thought was the norm or just common sense is just oppressive hegemony by people in power.
Speak up when you see inequality; calling out problematic behavior is very important. Educate others about what you know because many people need some help to see things differently from the status quo.
Finally, you must not keep quiet, advocacy is important and so is honestly. Silence always empowers the oppressors and with the state the world is in today, there’s no scope to be neutral anymore.
If you want to do your bit to make the world a better place, follow @iawaken.in on Instagram.
