Zohran Mamdani said identifying himself as African American would be ‘misleading’ on campaign trail
By Emily Crane
Democratic socialist New York City mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani once admitted that identifying himself as African American would be “misleading” — despite him ticking that as his race on his Columbia University application.
Newly resurfaced video captured the 33-year-old making the acknowledgment as he was sprayed with questions on the campaign trial about his heritage.
“I’m an Indian, Ugandan, New Yorker,” Mamdani told black performance artist Crackhead Barney when she approached him on the street in April.
Zohran Mamdani celebrating his primary victory in New York.
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A resurfaced video of Zohran Mamdani showed him saying it would be “misleading” to identify himself as African American.
AFP via Getty Images
Zohran Mamdani waves at the NYC Pride March.
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Asked if he would claim African American status, the socialist insisted: “No I would not.”
“I’m proud to be Ugandan but I think that is misleading,” he said.
The clip resurfaced and started spreading on social media soon after the New York Times reported on Thursday that he’d checked both “Asian” and “Black or African American” on his application to the Ivy League university when he was a high school senior in 2009.
Mamdani, who was born in Uganda, told the outlet he doesn’t identify as either race but rather “an American who was born in Africa.”
Zohran Mamdani at a NYC mayoral primary victory rally.
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Zohran Mamdani won the NYC mayoral primary.
Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
“Most college applications don’t have a box for Indian-Ugandans, so I checked multiple boxes trying to capture the fullness of my background,” the lawmaker said as he defended the move.
He noted that he specified “Ugandan” in a section of the application that allowed for more detailed personal information.
Zohran Mamdani at a press conference with union leaders and supporters.
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New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks during a press conference with union leaders and supporters in New York City, July 2, 2025.
REUTERS
“Even though these boxes are constraining, I wanted my college application to reflect who I was,” he said.
Mamdani insisted he didn’t select the two races to gain an edge in the admissions process — but because of the limited options available on the college application.
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