“There's this false notion that you have to separate and choose between issues of class and issues of race. What people do when they say that you need to separate class from race is that they are really just saying that people of color should come second.”

American politician and activist, since 2019

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, known as AOC, is an American politician and activist who has served since 2019 as the U.S. representative for New York's 14th congressional district. She is a member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America. She has built her public profile around electoral politics and activism, with her congressional work placing her among the more closely watched figures in contemporary American politics. Her statements often reflect the priorities of her political work and the broader causes she supports through public advocacy.