The more I learn about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the more I wish I knew her name months ago. This 28-year-old political activist is taking the entire world by storm with her charisma and platform. As if these two things weren’t enough to get people talking, Ocasio is recently making headlines for beating a top-ranking Democrat in the New York congressional primary on Tuesday. But how exactly did Ocasio become one of the most important faces of the Democratic party?
It’s important to first know Ocasio’s personal background. The best way to understand where she comes from is with this quote from her campaign video: “Women like me aren’t supposed to run for office. I wasn’t born to a wealthy or powerful family. Mother from Puerto Rico; dad from South Bronx. I was born in a place where your zip code determines your destiny.” Ocasio essentially grew up as a working-class Latina in Queens, New York. Despite the odds stacked against her, Ocasio worked hard at everything she did and pursued a degree in economics and international relations at Boston University.
The reason her upbringing is so important is that it essentially lays the groundwork for her campaign. Ocasio has personally experienced the hardships associated with being a working class citizen in New York City. This has prompted her to fight for a better quality of life through benefits such as improved Medicare and housing as a human right. Her upbringing as a working-class New Yorker has also caused her to find difficulty paying for her college education. Having to work as a bartender to pay off her student loans, Ocasio knows the struggle. This has inspired her to also fight for free tuition at public universities.
Is her platform beginning to sound familiar? That might be because Ocasio spent her mid-twenties working as an organizer on the Bernie Sanders campaign. However, there are some aspects of Ocasio’s platform that we didn’t see Sanders highlighting during his run for office. For instance, Ocasio is incredibly focused on abolishing ICE. She even traveled from New York to Texas just days before the primary elections to join protests at an ICE detention camp.
Considering Ocasio’s stance on nearly everything, it would seem like an obvious move to take jabs at our current commander in chief. However, Ocasio led her campaign with class and positivity. She focused on the demands of her people, without name-calling the president. Her ability to fight for her beliefs without simply going after the easy target shows the makings of an incredibly mature and stable leader.
The most notable aspect of Ocasio’s run is how well she knew her district. She knows the struggles of an average New Yorker not only because she is one, but because she takes the time to ask her neighbors about the quality of their own lives. She doesn’t simply look after one community. Ocasio cares about people of all races, genders, classes, and sexual orientations. She is focused on a platform that works for one general group of individuals: the American people as a whole.
The bottom line is that Ocasio won the Democratic primary because she deserved it. It’s impossible to deny that she is a far more accurate depiction of her district than her opponent, ten-term Rep. Joe Crowley. But it wasn’t her skin tone or age that handed her the win; it was her fierce determination. Ocasio knocked on thousands of doors through rain and shine, took the time to ask members of every class what they struggle with, and fought an uphill battle with the perfect combination of elegance and ferocity.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez brings a new meaning to the term “girl boss,” and is giving countless young people a new role model to look up to – including me!