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Ocasio-Cortez Sparks Debate Over “Woke 1” Comment

8/21/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said “Woke 1 was crazy,” sparking debate.
She cited councilmember Chi Ossé who first tweeted the phrase in May.
The comment alluded to Francesca Hong’s 2020 defund-the-police and “Cancel Thanksgiving” posts, later retracted.
Hong lost Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary to David Crowley on Aug. 11.
Chi Ossé defined “Woke 2” on NPR’s Code Switch urging wins for Black, trans, working-class people.

History

Historical Context

Bernie Sanders announced his Democratic presidential bid on April 30 2015, then captured 23 primaries and 46% of pledged delegates in 2016, forcing the DNC to adopt progressive language on a $15 minimum wage and Medicare-for-All. The campaign’s grassroots surge inspired groups like Our Revolution and today fuels intra-party debates echoed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

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Story summary

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said “Woke 1 was crazy,” sparking debate.
She cited councilmember Chi Ossé who first tweeted the phrase in May.
The comment alluded to Francesca Hong’s 2020 defund-the-police and “Cancel Thanksgiving” posts, later retracted.
Hong lost Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary to David Crowley on Aug. 11.
Chi Ossé defined “Woke 2” on NPR’s Code Switch urging wins for Black, trans, working-class people.

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