Volume 12

Editorial: Stay Woke

Jonathan P. Jones

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY

Now is the spring of our discontent

Made inglorious winter by the predilections of a dissatisfied populace and the whims of their dear leader

And all the clouds that lour’d upon our house for two and half centuries are firmly ensconced overhead with no clearing in sight.

Not so long ago, progress seemed possible—that we could turn the proverbial page–but the past is always prologue and what is possible is never guaranteed. 

Just a year ago, I shared with you the wall of shame that barricades the plaza across from my office (Jones, 2024, p. ii). And one year on, the wall remains. In his prescient, necessary text, On Tyranny (2017), American historian Timothy Snyder’s first lesson for combating tyranny is not to obey in advance. “Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more oppressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked” (p. 17).  NYU’s reaction to on campus protests in 2023 and 2024 was to restrict access to all public, congregate spaces. At the time, this was partly done to prevent drawing congressional ire, as experienced by other colleges and universities across the US (Saul & Hartocollis, 2023). And as the current administration has gone further in penalizing institutions of higher education in the name of combating antisemitism, these spaces have remained closed here at NYU (as seen in Figures 1-4, photographed by this author on 4 June 2025)—all in service of preventing pro-Palestinian protests from having a site where they might develop on campus (WSN Editorial Board, 2024). 

Figure 1: The wall of shame has a new coat of paint and slogan. Our future is indeed taking shape--and it is a dark one; photograph by this author.

Figure 2: The arcade-like entrance to the NYU Bobst Library is barricaded to restrict access. In the past, the arcade was sometimes a protest site; photograph by this author.

Figure 3: The main entrance to the Kimmel Center for Student Life has been adjusted to detour students and staff around the closed Grand Staircase. The staircase has been closed since October 2023 due to student protest activity (Lucas and Pisoni, 2024); photograph by this author.

Figure 4: Schwartz Plaza, a pedestrian thoroughfare that used to be open to the general public, is now barricaded, with access limited. Students and staff must show ID to NYU Public Safety officers to enter; photograph by this author.

I may be wrong, but I have long understood universities to be a site for the free exchange of ideas. And yet, these actions make me question that ideal. As does NYU’s decision to withhold the diploma of Logan Rozos for using his graduation ceremony speech to speak out against the “genocide currently occurring” in Gaza (Chen, 2025).

At the outset of this editorial, I reimagined the opening to Shakespeare’s Richard III, characterizing this political and social moment as the ‘spring of our discontent’ —so-called spring to capture my sentiment that the worst is yet to come. And in this perilous moment for the free exchange of ideas—particularly ‘woke ideas,’ I wonder, should we be cowed into submission? Should we obey in advance? Or might there be another path to follow?

HUSH HARBORS

While drafting this editorial, I attended a book talk by former US Attorney Barbara McQuade in conversation with former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, speaking about the social and political implications of disinformation and misinformation. After an introduction that delineated a number of the court cases where the president’s many executive orders or budget cuts have been struck down (either temporarily or permanently), AG Lynch commented, “All of these cases are evidence of a people who are not giving up.” Of these various judicial cases, attorneys general from a variety of states brought suit to stop some of these orders from going into effect (Chen, 2025; Meko and Closson, 2025, Mar. 13; Meko and Closson, 2025, Apr. 10; Weiser and Miller, 2025, May 28; Willingham, 2025; et al). And as these officials are charged with engaging in these judicial fights, their work is always in the public sphere. But for private citizens, there are other routes to preserving political struggles—and rather than obeying in advance, a little history might illuminate a path to maintain political struggle outside of the public sphere.

Hush harbors were sacred space for enslaved African Americans in the antebellum south. The enslaved gathered initially to maintain their ancestral faith, but eventually to develop their own form of Christian worship outside of the prying eyes of their masters. A formerly enslaved man, Simon Brown, described these spaces as ones in which,

They cherished meetings of their own where they could relax and enjoy the form of worship that pleased them and uplifted their spirits. … they would steal away into the woods and meet in what they called the invisible church, or the hush harbor, where they constructed meeting places made from the branches of trees … there was no pretending in those prayer meetings. There was a living faith in a just God Who would one day answer the cries of His poor black children and deliver them from their enemies. (cited in Erskine, 2014, p. 133)

The conversations in these hush harbors were not limited to religious practices. Nunley (2007) notes, “Hush harbor spaces enabled enslaved Africans in America to address secular as well as sacred concerns” (p. 226). And more than just conversations, these spaces provided participants with opportunities to collectively organize. Nunley continues, “Formal institutions such as the National Colored Woman’s Association, the Black Panthers, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference all emerged from sequestered or hidden Black public spheres of African American hush harbors” (p. 227).  The underground railroad was underground for a reason—and in its seclusion, it was highly effective. So who knows what might develop from obscured political discourse provided that the discourse continues. 

Educational theatre often prioritizes the experience of the participants moving through a process over that of an external audience who views a product. Process is rarely public, and as such, we know well the power of what can happen in an educational and/or artistic space behind a closed door. So let us never lose sight of the power of our practice. As James Baldwin has advised, “For this is your home, my friend, do not be driven from it; great men have done great things here, and will again, and we can make America what it must become” (Baldwin, 1962, p. 294). And until we achieve that progress, let us have all hands on deck—working both in public and in private to move us ever forward. 

STAYING WOKE

In my editorial two years ago, I implored our readers to “Get woke” —and in response to the question what does it look like to be woke in the classroom, I advised:

It is not about espousing a political ideology. Rather, it tasks you with creating a learning community that is grounded in liberation, equity, and justice. Woke in the classroom requires self-reflection. It requires you to consider your privilege before you speak—be that due to your race, gender, ethnicity, sexual-orientation, or otherwise. It requires you to promote inquiry and critical consciousness. Woke in the classroom is where students know that you support them when the world outside seeks to oppress them. (Jones, 2023, pp. vi-vii)

Since that writing, today’s political climate insists that ‘woke’ is wrong—that the activists went too far. American business leaders found themselves up against a workforce that demanded equity and justice in the workplace—a workforce who vocally identified threads of racism, colonialism, patriarchy, white supremacy, and implicit and explicit bias in the workplace. And in retaliation, those business leaders now offer public support for the presidential administration—they say they can breathe a sigh of relief as they champion the end to diversity, equity, and inclusion—DEI (Bennet, 2024).  And in our work with young people and in community, we must reject that. Liberation must always be our goal and we must endeavor—whether in public or in private—to do what we can to achieve that. 

And what will that look like today? In truth, our liberatory toolkit remains—albeit more necessary now. Recall my action steps I proposed in 2023:

That doesn’t mean you need to organize a protest (though you could). It doesn’t mean you need to take to the streets (though you could[…]). It doesn’t mean you have to make public comment at your local school board meeting (though you could). The teacher who keeps a drawer full of emergency snacks for students they know are missing meals when the conservatives cut funding is doing their part. And if, like me, you worry after that you didn’t do enough—let that push you to do more the next time. They want you to be pacified. They want you to be cowed into silence. They want you asleep. (p. xiii) 

As illustrated in the closing tableau of Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour (Figure 5), a silent protest can be quite effective in highlighting endangered public speech. Let us make room for all manner of activism in this moment, and let us strive for possibility. French political activist Frank Barat offers encouraging words for political struggle, “That seemingly indestructible forces can be, thanks to people’s will-power, sacrifices, and actions, easily broken” (2016, xii). We will move ever forward—but let’s not kid ourselves—the brutality of oppressive summer is coming. And in light of this, I implore you: stay woke! 

Figure 5: At Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter World Tour, the Statue of Liberty is shown with a mask covering her mouth; photograph by this author.

IN THIS ISSUE

In this issue, our contributors thoughtfully examine educational theatre practices, offering reflections and documentation of creative practices that are shaping the field.  Samantha Briggs and Marissa Barnathan explore how they combined methods from participatory democracy, futures studies, and Boal’s Legislative Theatre to create a multi-step audience engagement process consisting of pre-production, post-show, and post-production workshops aimed at collectively strategizing methods for preventing gun violence. Aghogho Lucky Imiti contends that Theatre Arts as a professional discipline in the humanities should be regarded as other disciplines, and its graduates be given equal opportunities as their counterparts from other fields in Nigeria. Rosalind M. Flynn analyzes embodied learning, using physical theatre activities to support the learning of vocabulary words. Finally, Dave Humphreys shows how carefully structured and targeted drama games can benefit learners’ experiences and support teachers in understanding a dramatic pedagogical approach.

LOOKING AHEAD

Our next issue (Volume 12, Issue 2) looks to engage members of the global Educational Theatre community in dialogue around current research and practice. We invite members of the Educational Theatre field to submit works that will share ideas, vocabularies, strategies, and techniques, centering on varying definitions and practices. That issue will publish in late-2025. Thereafter, look to the Verbatim Performance Lab for outreach and innovation from the NYU Steinhardt Program in Educational Theatre.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Jones, J. P. (2025). Editorial: Stay woke. ArtsPraxis, 12 (1), pp. i-xiii. 

REFERENCES

Baldwin, J. (1962, Dec.). A letter to my nephew. In: Baldwin: Collected essays. New York: The Library of America.

Barat, F. (2016). Introduction. In: Davis, A. Freedom is a constant struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the foundations of a movement. Chicago: Haymarket Books.

Bennett, E. (2024, Jan. 11). US business leaders are pushing back against years of corporate diversity efforts. BBC News.

Chen, A. (2025, May 16). NYU withholds diploma of Gallatin graduate who condemned ‘genocide currently occurring’ in Gaza. Washington Square News. 

Chen, D. (2025, May 13). 20 states sue Trump over immigration demands and threats to cut funding. The New York Times.

Erskine, N. L. (2014). Plantation church: How African American religion was born in Caribbean slavery. Oxford University Press.

Jones, J. P. (2023). Editorial: Get woke. ArtsPraxis, 10 (1), i-xix.

Jones, J. P. (2024). Editorial: E pluribus unum. ArtsPraxis, 11 (1), i-xiv.

Lucas, G., and Pisoni, H. (2024). NYU says Kimmel stairs closed due to ‘protest activity’. Washington Square News. 

Meko, H., and Closson, T. (2025, Mar. 13). Democratic attorneys general sue over gutting of Education Department. The New York Times.

Meko, H., and Closson, T. (2025, Apr. 10). Attorneys general sue over access to $1 billion in federal school aid. The New York Times.

Nunley, V.L. (2007). From the harbor to da academic hood: Hush harbors and an African American rhetorical tradition. In: Richardson, E.B., and Jackson, R.L. African American rhetoric(s): Interdsciplinary perspectives. Southern Illinois University Press.

Saul, S., and Hartocollis, A. (2023, Dec. 6). College presidents under fire after dodging questions about antisemitism. The New York Times.  

Snyder, T. (2017). On tyranny: Twenty lessons from the twentieth century. New York: Crown. 

WSN Editorial Board. (2024, Sept. 26). Editorial: NYU is stifling protest in an attempt to control its image. Washington Square News. 

Wesier, B., and Miller, K. (2025, May 28). 16 states sue Trump over $1.4 billion in science cuts. The New York Times.  

Willingham, L. (2025, Jun. 6). Lawsuit from state attorneys general challenges Trump’s executive order on election overhaul. PBS News.

SEE ALSO

Jonathan P. Jones - Editorial: Stay Woke

Jonathan P. Jones - Editorial: On Reimagining

Jonathan P. Jones - Editorial: E Pluribus Unum

Jonathan P. Jones - Editorial: Collective Visioning

Jonathan P. Jones - Editorial: Get Woke

Jonathan P. Jones - Editorial: Radical Imagining

Jonathan P. Jones - Editorial: Look for the Helpers

Jonathan P. Jones - Editorial: Communing with the Ancestors

Jonathan P. Jones - Editorial: Into the Traumaverse 

Jonathan P. Jones - Editorial: I Can't Breathe

Jonathan P. Jones - Editorial: No End and No Beginning 

Jonathan P. Jones - Editorial: On Mindfulness

Jonathan P. Jones - Editorial: A New Colossus

Jonathan P. Jones - Editorial (2017)

Jonathan P. Jones - Editorial (2016)

Download PDF of Editorial: Stay Woke

Cover image from NYU Steinhardt / Program in Educational Theatre production of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' Everybody, directed by Nan Smithner in 2025. 

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