Asian or African American: NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani identifies as 'an American who was born in Africa'; college application stirs controversy

Democratic socialist New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani identified himself as both “Asian” and “Black or African American” on his 2009 application to Columbia University, the New York Times reported on Thursday.

The 33‑year‑old, then a 17‑year‑old high‑school senior, ticked the two racial categories and wrote “Ugandan” in a free‑response section, but was ultimately not admitted to the Ivy League college. Born in Kampala to Indian film‑maker Mira Nair and Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani, he spent parts of his childhood in Uganda, South Africa and the United States before becoming a naturalised US citizen in 2018.

Now campaigning to become New York’s first Muslim and South Asian mayor, Mamdani told that he does not see himself as Black or African American, but rather “an American who was born in Africa”. “Most college applications don’t have a box for Indian‑Ugandans,” he said. “So I checked multiple boxes trying to capture the fullness of my background.”

Columbia’s form at the time allowed standard racial checkboxes and an additional field for detail, which Mamdani used to specify “Ugandan”. He said he completed all his college applications in the same way and recalled no other instance in which he described himself as Black or African American.

His parents are of Indian descent. His father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a renowned scholar with Indian roots born in British India before the family settled in Uganda. His mother, Mira Nair is an Indian-Americanthe Oscar-nominated filmmaker who left Rourkela in Odisha and brought stories of the subcontinent to global screens

While he has leaned heavily on his South Asian and Muslim heritage during the campaign, he also referenced his African roots in June at Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, saying: “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.”

Mamdani's racial identity has drawn attention. At a rally on Wednesday, President Donald Trump invoked Mamdani, warning that “if he interferes with immigration laws, we’ll have to arrest him.”