Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known as AOC, is an influential American politician and activist. Born on October 13, 1989, she is of Puerto Rican descent and has made a name for herself as a member of the Democratic Party. In 2019, Ocasio-Cortez achieved a significant victory by being elected as a congressman for New York’s 14th district, defeating the well-known Joseph Crowley.
Ocasio-Cortez represents the rising wave of women in American politics who lean towards the left. She is a proud feminist and an advocate for the LGBTI+ community. Ocasio-Cortez is passionate about various important issues, including the Green New Deal and the rights of immigrants, due to her own background as the daughter of immigrants.
Her upbringing took place in New York. Her mother, Blanca Cortez, is Puerto Rican, and her father, Sergio Ocasio, is a New Yorker. Ocasio-Cortez spent her early years in the Bronx before her family relocated to Yorktown Heights in Westchester County. She attended Yorktown High School and later pursued her studies in Economics and International Relations at Boston University. After completing her education, Ocasio-Cortez worked as an educational director while also taking grueling shifts as a waitress in order to support her family during the economic crisis.
In 2012, Ocasio-Cortez founded a children’s bookstore called Brook Avenue Press. She ventured into politics in 2016 as the organizer for Bernie Sanders’ New York campaign in the Democratic primary. Following the election, she traveled extensively throughout the United States, visiting places like Flint, Michigan, where she highlighted the issue of water contamination, and the Standing Rock Native Reservation, where she staunchly protested against a pipeline that threatened native lands.
Ocasio-Cortez’s political aspirations became more defined in May 2017 when she ran for the New York primaries. Although she was relatively young and inexperienced, her campaign gained significant popularity and ultimately led to her historic victory over the well-established Democratic leader, Joseph Crowley.
Since taking office in January 2019, Ocasio-Cortez has been a vocal advocate for several important causes. Among her proposals are improvements to and expansion of Medicare, the promotion of free public education, the creation of more accessible employment opportunities, judicial system reforms, combating climate change through the Green New Deal, implementing effective gun control measures, and the abolition of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
Ocasio-Cortez, along with other prominent women of Hispanic, Indian, and Jamaican backgrounds, represents the fresh face of American politics. They are paving the way for sustainable, accessible, and feminist progress. In fact, Ocasio-Cortez’s story was so impactful that it was featured in the Netflix documentary “Knock Down The House.”
In her own words, Ocasio-Cortez states, “Women, like men, aren’t supposed to run for office. I wasn’t born to a wealthy or powerful family […] My name is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. I’m an educator, an organizer, a working-class New Yorker.” With her dedication and unwavering spirit, Ocasio-Cortez continues to inspire and make a difference in the world of politics.