Mamdani told the
Times he does not identify as Black or African American, but as "an American who was born in Africa." The Democratic socialist explained that his responses on the college application were meant to reflect the complexity of his heritage within the constraints of the available options, not to seek any advantage in the admissions process.
He was ultimately not accepted to Columbia where his father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a professor of Government and a professor of anthropology political science and African studies.
"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 told the
Times.
The application offered space for students to provide "more specific information where relevant," Mamdani said, and that he used that section to write in "Ugandan."
The Times published a report citing hacked documents that show Mamdani identified as "Black or African American" on his application.
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