Nevada AG Aaron Ford Tells Crowd to 'Stay Woke' and Cheers DEI at Sharpton Event

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, a Democrat who’s got his sights set on the governor’s seat, made waves at the National Action Network’s convention by telling the crowd to "stay woke"—not exactly a phrase you hear from every would-be governor these days.

Ford took the stage at Al Sharpton’s event and greeted New York Attorney General Letitia James with a warm embrace, kicking things off with a bit of fanfare. He was quick to highlight the "affirmative action scholarship" that helped launch his path at Texas A&M University. Ford’s message to the audience was clear: equity matters. "When they talk about the opposite of equity, it’s inequity," he said, "you work hard, but you don’t get the same thing everyone else gets for the same work that they’ve done." Not exactly mincing words there.

The Attorney General gave a shoutout to companies like Costco, Delta, and even the Cleveland Cavaliers for sticking to their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies, saying, "We should support [them] because they support us." Maybe not the most popular NBA team in the room, but the point landed.

Ford also doubled down on the term "woke," spinning it as a badge of honor instead of an insult. He referenced the classic Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes song, "Wake Up Everybody," telling attendees, "They don’t want you to ‘wake up everybody.’ That’s why they’ve got a war on woke, you understand?" Ford argued that staying inquisitive and holding leaders accountable is exactly what being "woke" should mean, especially as he accused some of trying to rewrite history right under our noses.

His remarks come at a time when the national conversation around DEI is anything but quiet. Former President Trump has been pushing to eliminate DEI from federal agencies, and many companies are starting to rethink their own DEI commitments. But Ford isn’t backing down—in fact, he’s making it a centerpiece of his campaign as he prepares to challenge Republican Governor Joe Lombardo in a state that’s become a political seesaw.

Al Sharpton, who heads the National Action Network, isn’t letting companies off easy either. He’s encouraged boycotts of businesses like Target that have backed off DEI, even holding a private meeting with Target’s CEO to press the issue. As Sharpton put it, "If an election determines your commitment to fairness, then fine, you have a right to withdraw from us, but then we have a right to withdraw from you."