July 7, 2025
Mamdani defended his actions saying he had no choice since there is no box that aligns with his ethnicity.
Just days after speaking in front of leaders like Rev. Al Shaprton to garner support in the New York City mayoral race, front runner Zohran Mamdani is receiving backlash for allegedly claiming to be Black on his college application, The New York Post reported.
A bombshell report from The New York Times highlighted claims that the Democratic primary winner checked the “black or African American” and “Asian” boxes on his 2009 application to Columbia University — a time when affirmative action was still plausible. Critics feel the move was Mandani’s attempt to take advantage of the past policy at the Ivy League institution where his father is a professor. Unfortunately, his plan was unsuccessful as his application was denied.
Almost 20 years later and ahead of a major political run, Black voters are calling the identity claim “shameful.”
“I always knew something was off about him,” Maria R. of The Bronx said. “Why are you claiming something that you are not? He could’ve potentially took away an opportunity for someone else.”
“He’s just trying to get over,” another 86-year-old old Harlem resident said. “You can look at him and see he’s not” black. Absolutely not.”
In a viral video of a woman calling him out while walking, Mamdani says he would “never” claim to be African-American while stating to be an Indian, Ugandan New Yorker. When she asked why, the politician claimed that he felt it would be misleading.
Voters aren’t the only ones that feel a way over the claims. New York City Mayor Eric Adams is pulling a move out of President Donald Trump’s book — who demanded proof of ethnicity and U.S. citizen status for former President Barack Obama — demanding Columbia University to release admission records. He called the move “deeply offensive” and “an insult to every student who got into college the right way.” “The African American identity is not a checkbox of convenience. It’s a history, a struggle and a lived experience. For someone to exploit that for personal gain is deeply offensive,” Adams said.
According to The Washington Examiner, Mamdani defended his actions saying he had no choice since there is no box that aligns with his ethnicity. “Most college applications don’t have a box for Indian-Ugandans, so I checked multiple boxes trying to capture the fullness of my background,” Mamdani said.
Former New York governor and once popular Democratic candidate, Andrew Cuomo, who Mamdani beat by 12 points, wants an investigation into the matter, pushing a narrative of fraud and said this could “just be the tip of the iceberg.”
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