ADVOCACY POSTS

Lean In: Stay Woke, But Rest to Dream Again

There’s a phrase we’ve heard often in recent years: “Stay Woke.” It’s been used as a rallying cry, a reminder, and even a warning. But as I thought about it this morning, I realized that staying woke all the time does not allow us to get the rest we need to dream again. Without dreaming, without vision, we risk losing our ability to imagine a better tomorrow.

We are living in a time unlike any other. As a nation, we are in unfamiliar territory. Policies are being shaped in ways that feel foreign to our understanding of democracy and justice. The call to stay woke—to remain alert, vigilant, and ready to hold policymakers accountable—is urgent and necessary. We must continue to challenge decisions that strip away the human side of governance and that forget the people those policies are meant to serve.

Yet, staying woke cannot be our only posture. We must also rest. Because in rest, we dream. And in dreaming, we discover new approaches, new strategies, and new courage to meet this strange moment in history. Dreams give birth to possibility. Dreams give us permission to pivot, to think differently, and to imagine beyond the limits of the current administration’s actions.

So yes, let us stay woke. But let us also sleep and dream. For it is in that delicate balance—between vigilance and vision—that we will find the strength to shape a different world. A world where justice is not just an idea, but a lived reality.

Lean in. Stay woke. Rest. Dream again.