Ana Maria Archila confronting then Sen. Jeff Flake in September over Brett Kavanaugh’s U.S. Supreme Court nomination. (Screenshot via Make The Road Action)
Feb. 5, 2019 By Meghan Sackman
The Astoria-based activist and community organizer who made headlines last year after confronting then-Sen. Jeff Flake at Capitol Hill over Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination has been invited by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to be her guest at tonight’s State of the Union.
Ocasio-Cortez announced on Monday that Ana Maria Archila, co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy, would join her during Tuesday’s address after she “famously jumped into the elevator with Sen. Flake to elevate the stories of survivors everywhere.”
Archila, a sexual assault survivor, confronted Flake in September 2018 over his support for Kavanaugh, who was accused of sexual assault, to the U.S. Supreme Court as he stepped into an elevator on his way to a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting on the item.
“What you are doing is allowing someone— who actually violated a woman— to sit in the Supreme Court,” Archila said to Flake in a plea that went viral. She was joined by another woman, Maria Gallagher, during the confrontation.
She later added: I have two children— I cannot imagine that for the next 50 years they have to have someone in the Supreme Court who has been accused of violating a young girl. What are you doing, sir?”
The encounter appeared to influence Flake, who asked for an FBI probe into the sexual assault allegations made against him after first backing Kavanaugh at the outset.
Archila, who is also on the board for Make the Road New York, appeared in a video with Ocasio-Cortez on Monday, where they both spoke to tonight’s State of the Union.
“What is our future really supposed to look like?” Ocasio-Cortez asked Archila after presenting her with matching pins they will wear to the address (from a Jackson Heights shop) that say “Well behaved women rarely make history.”
“I think our union is one of people who believe in each other and believe that we all deserve to live with dignity…” Archila replied.
She also tweeted that Ocasio-Cortez’s spirit brings her hope and thanked her for allowing the voices of many to be heard.
Ocasio-Cortez referred to Archila as “the NY-14 shero,” and said her September confrontation was a “defining moment.”
“She’s living proof that courage within all of us can change the world,” she said.
Trump’s address, which was rescheduled from its original Jan. 29 date due to the government shutdown, will take place tonight at 9 p.m. in the House chamber.
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18 Comments
Two idiots the blind leading the blind. Donald’s second term will be a breeze when the dow hits 40k. She wont pass one piece of legislation and her minion’s biggest achievement?? Nothing Flmao!! Her constituents are regretting it now. Waste of time she’ll get nothing done. Oh when do we start recycling urine?? Green deal passing?
trump said well never go socialist. most memorable line ever in the SOTU
bring on 2020, should be a breeze with the dems all standing with this socialist bartender
Not even close. Obama’s, “I know because I won both of them” impromptu zinger blows anything Trump did out of the water.
Not to mention, the most memorable thing about this SOTU was Pelosi’s “applause.” She did more in 4 seconds than he did in nearly 90 minutes of lies and self-aggrandizement.
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, your invitation to the Queens activist is nice but you need to focus on the community that elected you. A young gang member from MS13 recently shot and murdered another gang member on the Jackson Heights train station in broad daylight. The video is very scary. My parents still live in JH & I go there very often. There is gang graffiti everywhere, little punks constantly fighting and no police presence. PLEASE HELP US!!!!
She doesn’t care for the poor saps who elected her. She is now firmly entrenched in congress-like an intestinal parasite. The scum of the earth gang members can murder, rape,rob, and pillage with impunity. Business as usual.
Wow! Such hope and trust you have.
She’s focusing too much on national issues and not enough on our local issues. We need her here!
An employee of the federal government isn’t focused solely on Astoria?! Outrageous! Socialism! Hillary’s emails!
Police no good. Diversity good. Graffiti is very pretty. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez very very nice. Dont worry be happy. Just make sure you run fast when the bullets fly!
What you’re talking about is literally not her job. Her job is to write and vote on legislation for the Federal government. Not to enforce laws locally. You should be asking the mayor, city hall and police about this.
Another fake progressive from the Soros funded Center for Popular Democracy who made $178k last year being a professional agitator…pay me that kinda bread and I will reject Trump and slap Jeff flake in an elevator https://www.lifezette.com/2018/10/want-to-get-rich-be-a-professional-left-wing-protester-like-flakes-elevator-gal/
I’ll take a billionaire-funded activist working to help other people people over a billionaire-funded senator like Flake who’s working to help himself any day.
You are a special kind of idiot then…
You sound like a nice person with well thought-out policy positions.
yawn, yeah rah rah tah, lets all be socialists now after 240 years of rockin capitalism. Yeah Venezuala!!!
Your significant grammatical errors and misspellings, including your comparison to Venezuela, might be further evidence that we need better public education.
I wonder why Trump endorses so many people that have been accused of sexual assault
It takes on to know one, I believe the phrase goes. But we knew that.