Unity Message Backfires: Racist AOC Tweet Turns Heads
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-NY) campaign account on X is facing significant backlash over a social media post that capitalized “Black” and “Latino” while leaving “white” in lowercase.
The post has since sparked accusations of hypocrisy and divisiveness.
The controversial post appeared on the “@TeamAOC” account, which is managed by the New York Democratic congresswoman and her staff members, drawing immediate criticism from users across the platform.
The message accompanied a video from Ocasio-Cortez’s recent “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, where she has been appearing alongside Bernie Sanders at anti-Trump rallies in traditionally conservative states across the country.
“Do not let them trick you into thinking we are enemies,” stated the post featuring footage from a Boise, Idaho event.
“Do not let them trick you into thinking that we can be separated into rural and urban, Black and white and Latino. We are one.”
Social media users quickly pointed out the apparent contradiction between the unity message and the selective capitalization choices in the text, with many suggesting the typographical choice undermined the very message of togetherness.
One X user’s reply, which garnered more likes than the original post, questioned: “If we are one, why did you capitalize ‘Black’ and not ‘white’?”
This sentiment was echoed by numerous commenters who saw the capitalization disparity as problematic.
Another popular response accused the campaign of deliberate racism, stating: “We see you, you f***ing racist POS. Don’t act like it was an accident that you left the word ‘White’ uncapitalized,” reflecting the intensity of reactions to what some viewed as a calculated slight.
Psychology professor Geoffrey Miller noted the inconsistency in his response, writing: “You literally just separated us into ‘Black and white and Latino.’ And you capitalized ‘Black’ and ‘Latino’ but not ‘white’, implying that White is not a legitimate racial identity. We see right through your vacuous word games.”
The capitalization debate gained prominence in 2020 when several major publications and style guides adopted the practice of capitalizing “Black” while keeping “white” lowercase, a decision that has remained contentious in media circles.
The Associated Press Stylebook, which influences hundreds of publications worldwide, announced this change approximately two months after George Floyd’s death, setting a precedent that many outlets have since followed.
AP Style Vice President of Standards John Daniszewski explained in July 2020: “AP style will continue to lowercase the term white in racial, ethnic and cultural senses. This decision follows our move last month to capitalize Black in such uses.”
“We consulted with a wide group of people internally and externally around the globe and considered a variety of commentary in making these decisions.”
The AP justified capitalizing “Black” by noting shared historical and cultural commonalities among black people globally, including “the shared experience of discrimination due solely to the color of one’s skin,” suggesting the capitalization acknowledged a distinct cultural identity.
For maintaining “white” in lowercase, the AP’s reasoning focused on perceived differences in shared experience: “White people generally do not share the same history and culture, or the experience of being discriminated against because of skin color. In addition, we are a global news organization and in much of the world there is considerable disagreement, ambiguity and confusion about whom the term includes.”
These style guide controversies, along with the AP’s refusal to adopt the Trump administration’s “Gulf of America” name change, have contributed to tensions with the current administration and added fuel to debates about media objectivity.
As a result of these ongoing disputes, Associated Press reporters have lost certain privileges they enjoyed under previous administrations, including access to the Oval Office.
Do not let them trick you into thinking we are enemies.
Do not let them trick you into thinking that we can be separated into rural and urban, Black and white and Latino.
We are one. pic.twitter.com/5rfXO1oJAT
— Team AOC (@TeamAOC) April 23, 2025
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