NYC mayoral candidate Mamdani listed as Black on Columbia application

Controversy Surrounds Zohran Mamdani’s Columbia University Application

Zohran Mamdani, who is running for Mayor of New York City as a Democrat, was listed as “black or African American” on a Columbia University application from 2009. This information emerged from a recent leak, revealing internal data from past Columbia applications, reportedly part of a broader hack targeting Ivy League institutions, as reported by The New York Times.

At the time, a high school senior, Mamdani also indicated he was “Asian” and described aspects of his background as “Ugandan.” Despite these efforts, he was ultimately not accepted by Columbia, even with his father working as a professor at a prestigious college.

Now 33, Mamdani spoke to The Times and identified as an “African-born American.” He explained that selecting multiple identifiers was a way to showcase his “complex background,” and he expressed skepticism about it providing any advantage in a competitive admissions scenario.

Columbia, during his application process, employed race-conscious admissions policies, a practice that was later abolished by the Supreme Court in 2023. “These boxes can be limiting,” he noted.

Mamdani mentioned that he didn’t distinctly remember marking himself as black or African American outside of formal university documentation.

His parents are both from India, and while his father, Professor Mahmoud Mamdani, has roots in East Africa, Mamdani emphasized that his family’s heritage includes diverse backgrounds without intermarriages.

On the campaign trail, Mamdani has leaned into his South Asian and Muslim identities. In a speech at Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, he highlighted his African roots, sharing, “I was born in Kampala, Uganda… My father named me Kwame after Ghana’s first prime minister.”

Recently, former President Donald Trump mentioned Mamdani at a rally, suggesting he ought to be arrested, which raised eyebrows about the immigration law context.

Mamdani, who identifies as a democratic socialist, responded sharply to Trump’s comments, stating that such rhetoric is aimed at New Yorkers who won’t shy away from their identities.