Story behind AOC Boston U video describes her as a "leading student ambassador."

[suffragette]

BU interviewed the creators of the now famous dance video and they both noted how Ocasio-Cortez was a positive student ambassador for the Howard Thurman Center at BU.

The posting of this video in an attempt to tear down Ocasio-Cortez has truly turned out to be one of the biggest backfires ever. The more information that comes out about it, the more positive light is shown on her.

http://www.bu.edu/today/2019/ocasio-cortez-dancing-video/

“We thought it was fun and a great way to showcase your community,” Baker says. “If we could jump on the ball, we thought we could do a Boston University mashup. We were student ambassadors at the Howard Thurman Center with Alexandria and others. We decided to make our own version. Julian and I did this from top to bottom, shooting, editing, casting.”

He says Cortez was a friend and “sort of the face of the Thurman Center,” because of her ability to rally people to want to be a part of it.

~~~

Like Baker, Fernandez, then the assistant director of the Howard Thurman Center, now the assistant dean for equity, diversity, and inclusion at Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, recalls Ocasio-Cortez as being a leading student ambassador for the Center. He had seen a video of the song “Lisztomania” by Phoenix set to scenes of dances from Brat Pack movies, and a group in Brooklyn had done a version, as well. “And we hadn’t seen one from any other college, so we said, ‘Why don’t we just go ahead and be the first college to create our own version….’ We just thought it would be a very fun thing to do.”

About the Howard Thurman Center:

https://www.bu.edu/thurman/about/

Dr. Howard Thurman believed in the unity of all people and that meaningful, creative experiences shared among people for sustained periods of time can help break barriers that divide them. The Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground, founded in 1986 by Dean George K. Makechnie, strives to keep Dr. Thurman’s legacy alive by providing programs, events and experiences to students designed to encourage their creative exchange of ideas, thoughts, beliefs and opinions.

As a way to follow Dr. Thurman’s blueprint for the building of community, the HTC encourages students to:

Be introspective to learn who they are
Expand their intellectual, social and spiritual horizons
Contemplate and discuss contemporary local, national and international issues
Reflect on how they can contribute to the world while pursuing what “makes them come alive”

[MaryMagdaline]

1. The video is a good recruiting tool for BU

Wouldn’t be surprised if applications are up this year

[suffragette]

2. Yes, it is. And so she continues to be an ambassador

for her college.

[aidbo]

3. Related:

With cool Lawrence Lessig tie-in

[suffragette]

4. Thank for posting this! The Lessig tie-in is very cool. Found more about that in this article:

https://www.chronicle.com/article/That-Video-of-Alexandria/245415