Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her boyfriend offered advice on ‘combating racism as a white person’ in a series of Instagram stories on Friday night.
While answering questions from curious social media followers, 30-year-old AOC brought boyfriend Riley Roberts, 30, in to answer questions in a rare appearance for the Washington D.C. couple.
Roberts took the lead when asked to share tips on combating racism as a white person.
Roberts said: ‘I think it’s helpful and important to talk to other white people about racism, and I think a lot of people, they don’t want to be racist.’
‘They don’t think that they’re racist, but they also don’t know some of the things they believe or say are, and can be, racist.’
Freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (left) and boyfriend Riley Roberts (right) shared a series of Instagram stories about ‘combating racism as a white person’ on Friday
Roberts goes on to say that using the opportunity as a teaching moment, rather than ful lout condemnation, can help people begin to understand their prejudices.
‘One of the effective ways is just to talk and kind of help teach them about why some of the things they believe or say or think are wrong — not necessarily racist — but that they’re wrong,’ he said.
‘That will sort of chip away and contribute to some development in this area, but not necessarily take somebody from being a racist to not being a racist in one conversation,’ he added.
During the Instagram series, Roberts (pictured) said: ‘One of the effective ways is just to talk and kind of help teach them about why some of the things they believe or say or think are wrong — not necessarily racist — but that they’re wrong’
AOC then chimes in to add similar sentiments, saying: ‘And it just always being open to learning about racist things we may have said or done without defensiveness.’
In an separate subtitle, the pair explained how approaching conversations in a ‘right or wrong’ frame before trying ‘racist vs non-racist’ can help talk to people who are prone to defensiveness.
During the other segments of her Instagram story, AOC discussed a variety of topics, including how imposter syndrome relates to generational wealth and called the recent Iowa Caucus a ‘hot mess’ that ‘no one is taking is taking responsibility over.’
Roberts (left) and AOC (right) first met at Boston University and later moved to New York City together
Earlier the week, the Democratic party fumbled the important Iowa Caucus when issues with precinct reporting overshadowed the event.
The couple first met while at Boston University and Roberts was introduced to audiences in AOC’s Netflix special Knock Down the House.
For his part, Robert’s has been a supportive – but mostly quiet – partner to AOC as she battled President Donald Trump and other critics since her upset win in 2018.
Meanwhile, AOC has been very vocal as of later after revealing she planned to boycott Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday.
She explained in a tweet that attending Trump’s event would be ‘normalizing’ the president’s behavior.
‘After much deliberation, I have decided that I will not use my presence at a state ceremony to normalize Trump’s lawless conduct & subversion of the Constitution,’ she said.
‘None of this is normal, and I will not legitimize it. Consequently, I will not be attending the State of the Union.’
She continued in a second tweet, saying: ‘This is a deeply personal decision for each member to make, and a choice I did not take lightly.’
Rep. Maxine Waters and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, two fellow targets for Trump, also did not attend the State of the Union.
Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib both attended, but maintained they did not condone Trump’s actions.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced Tuesday afternoon she will not be attending the State of the Union address
The progressive lawmaker, who is campaigning for Bernie Sanders in the 2020 primary, said attending would further ‘normalize’ his actions
Two days later, she publicly slammed Trump for awarding ‘virulent racist’ Rush Limbaugh the Medal of Freedom after the radio host announced he was battling stage four lung cancer.
‘We’re talking about putting someone on the same level as Rosa Parks, for example, in terms of their contributions to American progress,’ she said.
‘He wants to assert that Rush Limbaugh is somehow on the same level as Rosa Parks. And it’s truly nauseating. And this is one of the many reasons that I did not go,’ she added.
She also mocked Limbaugh’s seeming surprise and shock at being given the medal, despite there being media reports about it throughout the day.
‘He had to pretend that this was some kind of Oprah moment’, she added in an Instagram video posted yesterday.
First Lady Melania Trump presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Rush Limbaugh as his wife Kathryn watches during the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday
Several Democratic members of Congress who rose to their feet and shouted at the president during his address when he vowed to sign a bill that would lower the cost of prescription drugs.
‘Working together, Congress can reduce drug prices substantially from current levels,’ Trump asserted during his address Tuesday evening from the House Chamber.
‘I have been speaking to Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa and others in Congress in order to get something on drug pricing done, and done quickly and properly.
‘I’m calling for bipartisan legislation that achieves the goal of dramatically lowering prescription drug prices,’ he continued, a jab at Democrats who have worked on a similar bill that the president is describing.
‘Get a bill on my desk and I will sign it into law immediately,’ the president vowed.
This caused an uproar from Democrats, especially from female lawmakers, many of whom were dressed in all white to stand in solidarity with the women who fought in the 20th century suffrage movement.
Trump’s remarks during his speech angered Democrats, who say it was hyper-partisan and provocative
Tlaib and Omar are two of the four members of the so-called ‘squad’ featuring House Reps Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (second from right) and Ayanna Pressley (far right)
The Democrats held up three fingers as they booed, groaned and chanted ‘HR3!’
Their chant was making reference to the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, which was named after the late Democratic congressman who died at 68 from ‘complications concerning longstanding health challenges.’
Cummings and Trump sparred publicly, especially after the president took a hit at the district he represented, which includes Baltimore – and the president slammed it for failing and being ‘rat infested’ due to the congressman’s leadership there.
The Democrats attempted to portray that this bill would meet what he said he is looking to achieve: singing a bill that would lower drug prices.
The bill was passed in the Democrat-majority House in mid-December, and is awaiting a vote in the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans.
Trump’s speech on Tuesday mirrored more of a campaign rally than a usual State of the Union address – and caused Democrats to erupt at several points in boos and groans.