Zohran Mamdani checked ‘Black’ on a college form. Years later, the choice is public and the public is finally starting to ask, "Do we really want him as our next NY mayor?"
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| Zohran Mamdani |
Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, has faced scrutiny for identifying as both "Asian" and "Black or African American" on his 2009 Columbia University application, despite not currently identifying as Black.
Born in Kampala, Uganda, to Indian parents, acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair and Columbia professor Mahmood Mamdani, he spent his early years in Uganda, South Africa, and New York City. Mamdani, now 33, explained that he checked both racial categories to reflect his complex Indian-Ugandan heritage, as the application lacked a specific option for "Indian-Ugandan."
He also wrote "Ugandan" in a free-response section to clarify his identity. He told The New York Times that he considers himself "an American who was born in Africa," not Black or African American, and that his application choices were not intended to exploit affirmative action policies, which Columbia used at the time.
Zohran Mamdani identified as a "black man" on his application to Columbia. Incredible. pic.twitter.com/naRthnGOaL
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) July 3, 2025
The New York Times just reported on the story.
— Crémieux (@cremieuxrecueil) July 3, 2025
Using the hacked data from Columbia, we found that Zohran Mamdani claimed to be Black when he applied to Columbia.
Despite his fake race and the fact that he listed his father—a professor there—on his application, he was rejected. https://t.co/u6na5SFmPQ pic.twitter.com/3Cha3ATDe2
The information surfaced from a 2021 hack of Columbia’s admissions data, which included details like race, test scores, and citizenship status but not the full application. The New York Times verified the data by cross-referencing other alumni records, and Mamdani did not dispute its accuracy. Despite his father’s position at Columbia, Mamdani was not accepted and instead attended Bowdoin College, where he majored in Africana studies. He noted that he filled out all his college applications similarly, but these were the only instances he recalled identifying as Black or African American.
The revelation has sparked controversy, particularly as Mamdani campaigns for mayor, emphasizing his South Asian and Muslim identity while also referencing his Ugandan roots and his father’s civil rights activism. Critics, including incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, have called his actions potentially fraudulent, arguing that identifying as Black could have given him an admissions advantage, possibly at the expense of other applicants. Adams demanded Columbia release Mamdani’s full application records and investigate potential policy violations, especially since Mamdani was not a U.S. citizen at the time (he was naturalized in 2018 and holds dual U.S.-Ugandan citizenship).
Some, like the state Conservative Party chairman, labeled Mamdani’s choices as dishonest, accusing him of gaming affirmative action policies. Others, as seen in X posts, argue he was navigating a flawed system that incentivizes strategic racial identification due to limited categories.
The controversy has fueled public discourse, with some X users mocking Mamdani’s choices, comparing him to figures like Elizabeth Warren, while others see it as a critique of outdated admissions frameworks.
This we know for sure: Lying and cheating (or playing with the system) is really not a good look for NY's next mayor.
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