AOC Will Have Just 60 Seconds for DNC Speech

After it was announced Wednesday that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would have just one minute to speak next week at the virtual Democratic National Convention, the lawmaker got some encouragement from none other than her second-grade teacher, the Hill reports. In response to the news, which some progressives decried as a slap in the face to their movement, AOC tweeted the late civil rights leader Dr. Benjamin E. Mays' poem "God's Minute," a commentary on the brevity of life, per Fox News. Then, one @mjacobs324 replied: "You've got this. Remember all those poems we recited together in 2nd grade? It was prep for this moment. You've got this."

An apparently emotional AOC replied, "Ms. Jacobs! Is that you?!" along with a weepy-faced emoji. "Yes, I do remember the poems we recited in second grade! You prepared me perfectly for this moment. Thank you for teaching me, encouraging my growth, and believing in me as a child." Ocasio-Cortez will speak Tuesday; the convention starts Monday. See the full schedule here. ABC News notes some speeches will be made live while others, including AOC's, will be pre-recorded. Other big name speakers include Barack and Michelle Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and many more. Joe Biden will accept the nomination from his home state of Delaware. (More Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stories.)