Woke has evolved to mean awareness of discrimination and progressive social and political ideas that promote diversity, inclusion, and liberal values.

Anti-woke refers to a movement that opposes progressive social and political ideas, especially those that promote diversity, inclusion, and liberal values.  Proponents of the anti-woke movement claim that learning about or seeing marginalized groups will negatively impact society.

In the United States, changing public and political views regarding diversity-focused initiatives have increasingly influenced higher education policy. Several states have enacted legislation or governing-board policies that revise how public colleges and universities may address topics related to race, identity, inclusion programs, and campus activism. These actions include restrictions on funding for diversity-related offices or programming, limits on certain classroom content or training activities, revised general education curricula, and new regulations governing student protests and guest speakers.

At the same time, some states have promoted new academic units emphasizing civic education, Western intellectual traditions, or classical curricula. These developments reflect broader debates about the role of public universities, academic freedom, institutional governance, and the balance between state oversight and campus autonomy. Because public higher education systems are shaped by state law and governing boards, policy changes in one state can influence approaches adopted in others.