How did the Black Lives Matter movement influence the term 'Woke'?

1. How BLM revived and spread "stay woke" — grassroots to screens

BLM activists used "stay woke" to urge ongoing awareness of police violence and systemic racism during protests and organizing; that usage entered public view through social media and cultural products, including the 2016 BET documentary Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement, which framed the phrase as a call for continuing awareness and action ^{[2] [4]}. Encyclopedic summaries note that the Ferguson protests and Black Twitter were pivotal moments when the slogan moved from regional African American vernacular into national discourse ^[1].

2. From alertness to action: how language shifted meaning

Sources describe "woke" as evolving from meaning simple awareness of racial prejudice to signaling active engagement with progressive causes — effectively becoming a badge of political posture tied to BLM‑era activism ^{[3] [1]}. The First Amendment Encyclopedia observes the word became "entwined" with Black Lives Matter and was used not only as awareness but as a rallying term linked to action ^[3].

3. Cultural amplification and mainstream adoption

Once popularized in BLM contexts, "woke" spread beyond Black communities into broader activist and mainstream use — adopted by some white allies to indicate support for social‑justice aims, according to reference coverage ^[1]. Documentary storytelling, organized campaigns like Black Lives Matter at School, and academic work further circulated the language into education and civic spaces ^{[2] [5] [6]}.

4. Backlash and politicization: competing frames emerge

After wider adoption, "woke" attracted political pushback; critics and partisan actors reframed it as pejorative shorthand for overreaching progressive orthodoxy. Encyclopedic entries link this politicization to backlash dynamics where opponents portray social‑justice advocacy as exaggerated or threatening ^[1]. Opinion pieces argue that debates about policy consequences tied to BLM priorities contributed to the contentiousness around terms like "woke" ^[7].

5. Scholarly reflection and limits of the "woke" label

Academics who study social movements warn that "woke" can be gamified: striving to be recognized as "woke" may become performative rather than substantive. Authors cited in the coverage argue for caution about "woker‑than‑thou" postures and emphasize deeper organizing over symbolic language ^{[1] [8]}.

6. Media and documentary evidence: how storytelling cemented the link

The 2016 documentary Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement both documented the movement’s origins and explicitly connected the phrase "stay woke" to BLM’s demands for racial justice; that film is repeatedly noted in coverage as a cultural touchstone for the phrase ^{[4] [2] [9]}. Film and festival listings and press materials reinforced the narrative that BLM popularized the slogan ^{[10] [9]}.

7. What available sources do not mention

Available sources do not mention precise metrics (e.g., quantitative measures of word usage over time) or detailed ethnographic accounts tracing every step of how individual influencers or tweets made "woke" viral. They do not settle debates over whether mainstream adoption diluted the term's original Black vernacular meaning beyond the summary statements cited (not found in current reporting).

Conclusion — synthesis for readers

Reporting and reference entries consistently credit Black Lives Matter with energizing and popularizing "stay woke" in the 2010s and converting "woke" into a broader marker of social‑justice awareness and action, while also documenting subsequent politicization and scholarly caution about performative uses ^{[2] [1] [3]}. Different sources stress both the affirmative role of BLM in spreading the term and the complex backlash that followed, leaving open questions about long‑term semantic shifts and cultural ownership ^{[7] [1]}.