Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Represents a Lesson to Young Women of St Lucia!

[dropcap]I[/dropcap] count as a blessing, a privilege even, that I was able to view the swearing-in of Speaker Nancy Pelosi of the United States House of Representatives on January 3, 2019. Notwithstanding her experience and high office—she is third in line to the US presidency—it was the youngest member of the House who drew the interest of the US media. Whether it was on Morning Joe or on MSNBC or CBS’s 60-Minutes, the name Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was the talk of America, and quite possibly the rest of the western world.

There are several reasons Ms. Ocasio-Cortez was such a hit with US media. At 29, she is the youngest member elected to the US House, having comfortably won the 14th congressional district of New York. At the time, she lived in a single-bedroom apartment in the Bronx with her boyfriend and child, and worked as a bar waitress, having previously earned a BA degree from Boston University. Although she defeated a four-time democratic representative for the seat, she was not popular with some Conservatives. Perhaps the qualities which piqued the ire of her opponents were her outspokenness and her demonstrated free spirit. Some attempted, without success, to make something of her dancing on camera—yes, she was fully clothed! I was tempted to quote the biblical encouragement to sing and dance in celebration of God’s love and blessings. I know some God-lovers are opposed to dancing, claiming spiritual superiority.

My thoughts returned to Saint Lucia as I took in the criticisms levelled at Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. My early political vision anticipated young Saint Lucia women with the can-do spirit and brain power of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez becoming fully engaged in politics. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s successful bid for a seat in the US House has proven what many young women in Saint Lucia already know: poverty is no barrier to success. On the other hand, laziness and lack of ambition are. Being born to struggling Puerto Rican working-class parents who migrated to the US did not guarantee Ms. Ocasio-Cortez a better life. Her mother worked cleaning other people’s houses while her father ran a small business to make ends meet. Many young women in Saint Lucia and the Caribbean face the same challenges. Fact is, overcoming abuse and poverty has led to many successful careers.

An appealing quality Ms. Ocasio-Cortez revealed in her many interviews was her acceptance of the label “democratic-socialist” which some have attached to her politics. The western media love to do that. They are quick to place young aspiring straight-talking politicians into boxes, which they later infuse with untruths and cynical assertions. They bend the media to render a new radical voice ineffectual, blunting its challenge to the status quo. 

In their cowardly moves, her opponents count support from some Christian churches. During their weekend sermons, these churches avoid any reference to the radical Jesus Christ, who was moved to chase money changers out of his father’s house of worship. Such adversaries tend to impede radical change, often stifling meaningful progress. Radical change in the social and economic situation of the less fortunate in America is the dream Ms. Ocasio-Cortez pursues. 

No one can tell for certain how far and for how long Ms. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will ride the wave of popularity, and what she might achieve for her constituents. We know that in male-dominated US politics she will be sorely tested. Even those who claim to support her may prove difficult to convince that a new path forward exists. I have often wondered why Americans, especially American men, are so fearful of having women serve in politics at the highest level. In that regard, the American male is no different from his less well-off brethren. They grudgingly accept women as equal citizens whenever it suits them. The freedom for women to dress as scantily as they please is par for the course. The dominance of the flesh, as opposed to that of the intellect or the spiritual, is popular in western magazines and movies. Not surprisingly, western man has learned to clothe his vices for expediency.

Ms. Ocasio-Cortez has declared her most important agenda items: the pursuit of political, social and economic justice for women; supporting clean energy development and a recognition of the reality of climate change and how to better educate citizens and prepare them for it. She plans to attack the scam of delineation of electoral boundaries masterminded by Republicans to win elections. She intends to help empower women so that the US Congress becomes more representative of the variety of people in the country. Her vision dovetails nicely into the broader vision of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her Democratic Party. It’s been reported that Speaker Pelosi has formed a new sub-committee to study climate change and Ms. Ocasio-Cortez has been invited on that sub-committee. Hopefully,

Ms. Ocasio-Cortez will soon discover that there is little merit in offering a too reductive analysis of government expenditures that waltz pass relevant revenue information. The youth of Saint Lucia should be encouraged to observe Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s political trajectory, keeping in mind the obstacles that will be thrown in her path. Independent-minded young people who wish to participate in politics will be more severely
tested because of the overarching power and influence of politics.

I end on this note: The history of discoveries of the Americas informs us that one Hernan Cortes, later Marquis of the valley of Oaxaca (south-west Mexico) was the first European on Mexican soil. Is Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s family in any way connected to that Spanish explorer? Discovering ancestry through DNA would be an interesting exercise for the likes of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. Regardless of her blood line, I suggest the following: Keep on advocating and working in the interest of those who elected you to office; keep reading and learning about everything, especially about yourself and your history; keep dancing and never stop praising God and being a democratic radical-socialist.