Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate vying for the mayoralty of New York City, marked “Black or African American” on his 2009 application to Columbia University, despite now saying he doesn’t consider himself Black, according to a Thursday report in The New York Times.
The revelation comes from leaked Columbia admissions data, which surfaced after a cyberattack on the Ivy League university exposed archived applications and internal records.
At the time, Mamdani was a senior in high school. On the application, he also selected “Asian” and handwrote “Ugandan” in a section that allowed applicants to elaborate on their heritage. Although his father teaches at Columbia, Mamdani was ultimately not admitted.
Now 33, Mamdani explained to The Times that his decision to mark multiple categories was an attempt to represent his nuanced personal history, not a strategy to benefit from racial preferences in admissions. “I identify as an American who was born in Africa,” he said, describing the checkboxes as a reflection of his “complex background.”
Back in 2009, Columbia—like many top-tier universities—considered applicants’ race as part of its admissions process. That practice was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2023.
“Even though these boxes are constraining,” Mamdani said, “I wanted my college application to reflect who I was.”
Speaking to the paper, Mamdani said he doesn’t recall ever identifying as Black or African American beyond that specific application.
His family is ethnically Indian. His father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a Columbia professor whose ancestors have lived in East Africa for generations. Zohran noted that despite the family’s African residence, there was no history of intermarriage with native African populations.
On the campaign trail, Mamdani has emphasized his South Asian roots and Muslim identity. He also highlights his African birthplace. While addressing Al Sharpton’s National Action Network in June, Mamdani said: “I was born in Kampala, Uganda… I was given my middle name, Kwame, by my father, who named me after the first Prime Minister of Ghana.”
During a rally on Wednesday, President Donald Trump referenced Mamdani and issued a pointed warning about his potential policies. “If he interferes with immigration laws ‘we’ll have to arrest him.'”
“Look, we don’t need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I’m going to be watching over them very carefully on behalf of the nation,” Trump added.
Mamdani, who describes himself as a democratic socialist, brushed off the remarks and accused Trump of attempting to instill fear. “An attempt to send a message to every New Yorker who refuses to hide in the shadows: if you speak up, they will come for you. We will not accept this intimidation.”

{Matzav.com}