Added: After sharing the linked stories below, I’ve come across discussions arguing there’s no such thing as “woke” and it’s all right-wing fear-mongering. That’s disingenuous in the extreme, so here’s my off-the-cuff definition:
“Woke” is a constellation of academic social justice theories put into practice, including the equity agenda of assigning outcomes based on identity group membership (DEI, or diversity, equity, inclusion); prioritizing climate change strategies in the management of business and retirement investments (ESG, or environment, social and governance issues); critical race theory (CRT) that characterizes U.S. and Western history as primarily driven by white racism; critical gender theory (CGT) that includes advocating medical transitioning for gender-nonconforming minors; and similar progressive nostrums embraced and promulgated by elite professionals and media.