Very cool, if true

See this https://www.npr.org/2023/07/19/1188543449/what-does-the-word-woke-really-mean-and-where-does-it-come-from

But it was clearly in use before then to some extent, as it sounds like he expected the usage to be understood.

Edit: the Wikipedia article section on origins is also fascinating:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woke?wprov=sfla1