by Shah J. Choudhury
In the heart of New York City’s most pivotal mayoral race in decades, one name is steadily rising on the strength of grassroots organizing, unapologetic idealism, and a lived experience that bridges continents: Zohran Kwame Mamdani. A sitting New York State Assemblymember, a housing counselor by training, and the son of two celebrated intellectual and cultural figures, Mamdani has become a symbol of a new kind of politics—one that sees justice not as a slogan, but as a daily commitment.
A Childhood Between Continents
Zohran Mamdani was born on October 18, 1991, in Kampala, Uganda, into a family that was anything but ordinary. His mother, Mira Nair, is an acclaimed filmmaker best known for her internationally lauded films Monsoon Wedding, Salaam Bombay!, and The Namesake. His father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a respected academic of Indian descent who serves as the Herbert Lehman Professor of Government at Columbia University.
From the start, Mamdani’s life was shaped by migration, political awareness, and cross-cultural fluency. At five years old, he moved with his family from Uganda to Cape Town, South Africa, where he first began to understand the structures of apartheid and the power of resistance. Two years later, the family settled in New York City, a place that would become not just his permanent home, but the center of his political awakening.
Education That Informed His Politics
Mamdani’s early education began at St. George’s Grammar School in Cape Town, continued at Bank Street School for Children in New York, and led to his enrollment at the prestigious Bronx High School of Science. From there, he went on to Bowdoin College, a liberal arts institution in Maine, where he majored in Africana Studies.
It was at Bowdoin that his activism began to take sharper focus. He co-founded a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, which not only introduced him to international solidarity movements but also exposed him to the controversies and challenges that often come with standing on principle. These early experiences helped solidify the foundation of a political ethos rooted in anti-colonialism, economic equity, and the fight against systemic racism.
From Tenant Counselor to State Assemblyman
Before stepping into elected office, Mamdani worked as a housing counselor, guiding vulnerable tenants through the labyrinthine legal system of New York’s housing courts. His work brought him face-to-face with the harsh realities of displacement, rising rents, and structural inequality—realities that would soon become the core issues of his political platform.
In 2020, Zohran Mamdani ran for the New York State Assembly in District 36, which includes parts of Astoria, Queens. Running as a Democratic Socialist, he unseated a long-standing Democratic incumbent in a stunning grassroots victory that was powered by volunteers, not corporations.
As an Assemblymember, Mamdani quickly established himself as a fierce advocate for housing justice, public transit, and wealth redistribution. He has consistently supported bills that challenge luxury real estate developers, protect low-income renters, and expand services for immigrant communities. His politics are not merely progressive—they are transformational in intent.
Personal Life and Public Image
In early 2025, Mamdani married Rama Duwaji, a Syrian artist whose own work intersects with themes of migration, identity, and liberation. Their partnership, while deeply personal, has also become a touchstone of the campaign’s authenticity—two people navigating the world with shared values and mutual respect.
Mamdani’s campaign reflects this sincerity. Unlike candidates who rely on polished branding, his public appearances often center around community forums, canvassing with volunteers, and speaking directly to the people in their own neighborhoods. He maintains a disarming honesty in interviews, often acknowledging the limitations of electoral politics while still insisting on its radical potential.
Mayoral Platform: Bold, Detailed, and Urgent
Mamdani’s candidacy for mayor isn’t built on vague promises or generic slogans. His platform is detailed, bold, and rooted in the belief that government can—and must—be a force for justice. Key proposals from his campaign include:
• Declaring housing as a human right and introducing universal rent stabilization for all New Yorkers.
• Making public transportation free and fully accessible, funded through progressive taxation on the ultra-wealthy.
• Community-led policing alternatives that focus on mental health response and restorative justice.
• A Green New Deal for NYC, including the transformation of public infrastructure into sustainable, climate-resilient systems.
• Immigrant representation in city governance, ensuring that the city reflects the people who built and sustain it.
Mamdani is not just running for office—he’s inviting New Yorkers to imagine what it would mean to live in a truly just city.
Political Style: Movement Over Machine
What sets Mamdani apart is not just what he stands for—but how he campaigns. His operation resembles a social movement more than a traditional political machine. Volunteers come from across the five boroughs to knock doors, host teach-ins, and organize rallies. Many are young, first-time campaigners who see in Mamdani a candidate who reflects their frustrations and hopes.
He’s also unapologetically internationalist in his lens—connecting local issues in NYC with global struggles, whether it be the Palestinian cause, refugee justice, or climate solidarity with the Global South. That worldview sets him apart in a field often dominated by narrow, bureaucratic thinking.
Opposition and Criticism
Like any disruptor in politics, Mamdani has his share of critics. Opponents accuse him of being “too radical,” out of touch with realpolitik, or inexperienced in managing a city the size of New York. But supporters argue that these are the very qualities that make him right for the moment. In an age where politics-as-usual has failed millions of New Yorkers, they believe what the city needs is not a manager—but a visionary.
A New Moral Compass
Whether Zohran Mamdani wins or not, his campaign is already redefining what it means to run for mayor in New York City. He is part of a generation of politicians who are no longer content with symbolic change. They demand—and organize for—systemic transformation.
As Mamdani often says at the end of his speeches:
“We are not just here to win power. We are here to return power to the people.”
Author: Writer, researcher, and social observer based in Queens, New York. Passionate about equity, memory, and the politics of everyday life.
