US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) recently made a controversial historical assertion during a podcast interview with comedian Ilana Glazer, stating that “black Americans really created democracy in this country.” The remarks, shared on Thursday’s episode of the podcast hosted by Glazer, have drawn significant criticism across social media platforms.
Ocasio-Cortez described her perspective as follows: “There are very few, like, real archetypes of, in my opinion, truly, what America is all about. I think about the Civil Rights and voting rights movement, and how black Americans really created democracy in this country.” Glazer interjected with agreement, adding that Ocasio-Cortez’s historical framing “is exactly right.”
The comments have been widely challenged by users who question the timeline of democratic development, noting that foundational American governance structures like the Constitution and Bill of Rights predate civil rights movements by centuries. Social media discussions highlight confusion over Ocasio-Cortez’s claim that “we were apartheid before 1963,” with many pointing to the historical presence of democracy in early U.S. colonies and legal frameworks established long before the Civil Rights era.
Breitbart reported that Ocasio-Cortez further asserted, “We weren’t really a democracy, until 1963, 1965,” emphasizing voting rights and civil rights as critical turning points. Glazer then expanded on the topic, describing systems of governance as existing on a spectrum between “true democracy” and fascism, with critics noting the historical context Ocasio-Cortez referenced lacks scholarly consensus.