Lynda Lopez - AOC: The Fearless Rise and Powerful Resonance of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Keegan-Michael Key

My wife and I were sitting in bed one evening, scrolling through social media, and came across a video of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez fearlessly dismantling an ill-prepared Mark Zuckerberg before Congress. Elle and I looked at each other and both had the same excited thought; AOC dont play.

There are many things that I admire about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, including her drive and ambition, her fearless tenacity, and her seemingly boundless energy to fight for us all. She has become a voice, not only for the Latina contingency in this nation, but for the youth, the disenfranchised, the economic underclass, and those who have a desire to exercise moral courage. I am honored to write this Preface and am grateful that there is now a Latina policy-making millennial forging a new path in politics. This book is an homage to her and those she inspires.

On many issues that we are currently facing in this country I understand AOCs perspective. I grew up in a lower-middle class home near 8 Mile in Detroit. I had a fairly traditional, middle-American church-going upbringing. We didnt know what bootstraps were. But we learned its important to pay taxes; in order for our roads to be paved, so we can drive safely and efficiently to our jobs, where were paid a wage that was legislated by a government body for our financial welfare, and in a work environment that is regulated and safe. I am someone who personally benefited from government-issued student loans so that I could attend college. This is something that I will forever be grateful for, as there would have been no other way for me to achieve the level of education I had otherwise. Many of my friends and family members benefited firsthand from government programs and subsidies and have spent their lives giving back to their community because of it. We were also very fortunate to live in a city that, on the brink of collapse, was saved by the community coming together to support lowering pensions, with hard-working blue-collar folks making individual sacrifices for the greater good of the whole. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez puts herself on the line every day for that greater good.

I truly appreciate that my celebrity has afforded me many opportunities to speak publicly and to step outside my comfort zone and shine a light on others who deserve to be recognized and supported. A few years ago, I was offered the honor of speaking at the Womens March in Los Angeles. I wasnt sure what to say, or how to say it. Fortunately, my wife, Elle (a bright, fearless soul and, like AOC, a fighter for all that is just in the world), was there to inspire me. I started by sharing with the crowd what I had learned firsthand by watching hera female producer and director who works ten times as hard as many of the men around her and rarely gets even half the credit. And shes not alone. There are plenty of women who stand up for what they know is right every single day; even if it means they will get ridiculed for it. There are qualified women who get passed over for promotions, women who are called names for showing strength, and women who work tirelessly behind the scenes to help change and shape the world and we dont even know who they are. So when someone like AOC comes along and isnt afraid to set an example, to stand up for what is right and just and knock some holes in that glass ceiling, it is a perfect time for me to use my voice and help shine that light.

My personal hope is that one day youll pick up this compendium to give it a nostalgic perusal, show it to your grandchildren, point out a conspicuous autograph on one of the pages, and say, She signed this for me before she became president.