"Woke"

By: Funmi Banjoko

The Hulu series “Woke” is a satirical look at a black cartoonist’s reckoning with racism. It is largely autobiographical as Keith Knight chronicles his experience through a fictionalized version of himself named “Keef” Knight. Keef prides himself on being a black cartoonist who “keeps it light” and doesn’t use his art to talk about racism. But after a traumatic encounter with the police, his eyes are opened. He becomes “woke” and realizes that as a black cartoonist, his work is racialized, no matter what he does. 

The story follows Keef trying to incorporate his experience into his art, while trying to understand it himself. Mixing animation with live action, inanimate objects voiced by recognizable black actors serve as both teachers and foils for Keef. He is confronted by everything from a brown paper bag voiced by Cree Summer to a Sharpie voiced by JB Smoove.

I found out about this series from ads on YouTube and Instagram, and after I saw that the cast included some of my favorite actors, I decided to give it a try. I binged all 8 episodes in one day and I loved this series. It's funny and well written, the cast is great, and it tells a genuine story about being a black creative in America. Most of all, in this time of Instagram activism and racism being a trend, the show portrays in Keef a very real picture of what being black in America is for a lot of us: a tightrope walk of trying to be yourself without being a stereotype and also living with the feeling of never being quite black enough. 

Oftentimes, when we see black people on screen, we are defined by a handful of stereotypes and if that’s not the case, black characters are whitewashed and their black identity is simply ignored. What “Woke” shows viewers is that there is no one way to be black in America. Being black doesn’t make one privy to special information about racism or the world. The humility that Keef shows in his journey is validating, the frustration he feels is relatable, and most of all, the hope and determination he has is inspiring.