Vote Ocasio-Cortez - Inspired by Jennifer Mason

Although I am not a fan of politics, and have very little interest in participating in political events, I still root heavily for individual causes. I root for folks that still have the capacity to be inspired. I root for these folks, and I root for their stories.

I root for folks like Jennifer Mason.

I learned of Jennifer through Instagram. After going through the dozen or so images hashtagged #Queenscapes, a photo that she took really caught my attention, and after another round of elimination, was eventually chosen as the Queenscapes #IconicQueenscapes feature of the week.

After selecting her photo, I sent Jennifer a direct message to ask for permission to repost her photo and also for some basic background info to add to the caption. Here is Jennifer’s response in its entirety:

“I was born on Long Island, New York and now live in lower Manhattan. My family have been New Yorkers for generations, having built their lives in Italian communities around the city.

I am a casual photographer and after becoming disillusioned with my career in the fashion industry, I was looking to be involved in something more uplifting.

I’ve followed the campaign of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for months and have really been taken in by her pursuit of progressive, humanist policies and complete rejection of the corporate-bought political machines that usually run things around here. I finally found the nerve to volunteer in May and joined the photography team covering her run for Congress in New York’s 14th district, which includes many neighborhoods in Queens.

My hope is by sharing what I’ve documented on Instagram that fellow New Yorkers will see some of the hustle and the heart that has gone into this campaign and maybe a few will be intrigued enough to learn more, to volunteer, and if I’m lucky, even decide to vote Ocasio this Tuesday, June 26.

Deep in the communities of the toughest city on earth, hope still lives here.”

To view Jennifer’s full gallery of the Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez campaign go to her Instagram page @jennymie. I dare you not to be inspired.

Photo by Jennifer Mason Words by Jennifer Mason Adolfo Steve Vazquez