July 4, 2025 New York, NY – The Democratic primary for New York City Mayor may be over, but the conversation surrounding nominee Zohran Mamdani's identity is just beginning. A recent New York Times exposé, drawing on internal data from a 2009 hack of Columbia University, reveals that the 33-year-old, born in Uganda, checked both "Asian" and "Black or African American" on his college application. This revelation has ignited a fresh round of debate, especially in light of Mamdani's recent public statements clarifying that he does not identify as Black or African American, but rather as "an American who was born in Africa."
The Times report suggested that ticking the "Black or African American" box could have offered a potential advantage in the highly competitive college admissions landscape of 2009, a period when race-conscious admissions policies were still in effect at many elite institutions like Columbia. It's important to note that the Supreme Court later struck down such policies in 2023. Ultimately, Mamdani was not admitted to Columbia, despite his father being a professor there at the time.
Mamdani has directly addressed the discrepancy, explaining to the New York Times, "Most college applications don’t have a box for Indian-Ugandans, so I checked multiple boxes trying to capture the fullness of my background." He further clarified that he utilized the application's free-response section to specify "Ugandan," emphasizing his desire for his application to "reflect who I was," even within the constraints of standardized forms.
This controversy emerges as Mamdani has prominently championed his South Asian and Muslim heritage throughout his campaign. He has consistently spoken about his ancestry, leveraging it to connect with diverse communities across the five boroughs. Indeed, in a recent interview with NPR, Mamdani highlighted the significant impact of his candidacy, stating, "As the first South Asian elected official, the first Muslim elected official to ever run for mayor, the turnout in those same communities has been incredible to see."
Mamdani's narrative resonates with a growing segment of New York City's diverse population. For instance, according to recent polling data from the Manhattan Institute, while former Governor Andrew Cuomo held a stronger first-choice preference among Black Democratic primary voters (39% to Mamdani's 16%), Mamdani garnered significant support among younger, college-educated, and
