Zohran Mamdani

Mamdani attended the [[Bank Street College of Education#Bank Street School for Children|Bank Street School for Children]], where he successfully ran as the independent candidate in a middle school [[mock election]], adopting a platform of "equal rights, anti-war (policy) that proposed spending money on education rather than the military."<ref name="r317">{{cite web | last=Sassoon | first=Alessandro Marazzi | title=I Went to Middle School With Zohran Mamdani. He Turned Our Election Upside Down Then Too. | website=Slate Magazine | date=July 1, 2025 | url=https://slate.com/life/2025/07/zohran-mamdani-mayor-new-york-nyc.html | access-date=July 2, 2025}}</ref> He later graduated from the [[Bronx High School of Science]] in [[Kingsbridge Heights, Bronx|Kingsbridge Heights]],<ref name = Saltonstall>{{Cite web |last=Saltonstall |first=Gus |date=March 26, 2025 |title=Before Zohran Mamdani Made Waves in NYC's Mayoral Race, He Was A Kid Growing Up On the UWS |url=https://www.westsiderag.com/2025/03/26/before-zohran-mamdani-made-waves-in-nycs-mayoral-race-he-was-a-kid-growing-up-on-the-uws |access-date=March 29, 2025 |website=West Side Rag |language=en-US}}</ref> where he unsuccessfully ran for student body vice president.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/27/zohran-mamdanis-political-career-started-in-high-school.html|title=Zohran Mamdani ran for VP of his high school and lost—now he's winning the Democratic primary for NYC mayor|first=Megan|last=Sauer|date=June 27, 2025|website=CNBC}}</ref> Mamdani then attended [[Bowdoin College]] in [[Brunswick, Maine]], where he co-founded the school's chapter of [[Students for Justice in Palestine]]. He graduated in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in African studies.<ref name="jac" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sorkin |first=Emma |date=November 1, 2019 |title=Taking a stand: alumni run for office, with Bowdoin in mind |url=https://bowdoinorient.com/2019/11/01/taking-a-stand-alumni-run-for-office-with-bowdoin-in-mind/ |access-date=March 17, 2025 |website=[[The Bowdoin Orient]] |archive-date=June 11, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250611163043/https://bowdoinorient.com/2019/11/01/taking-a-stand-alumni-run-for-office-with-bowdoin-in-mind/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Mamdani attended the [[Bank Street College of Education#Bank Street School for Children|Bank Street School for Children]], where he successfully ran as the independent candidate in a middle school [[mock election]], adopting a platform of "equal rights, anti-war (policy) that proposed spending money on education rather than the military."<ref name="r317">{{cite web | last=Sassoon | first=Alessandro Marazzi | title=I Went to Middle School With Zohran Mamdani. He Turned Our Election Upside Down Then Too. | website=Slate Magazine | date=July 1, 2025 | url=https://slate.com/life/2025/07/zohran-mamdani-mayor-new-york-nyc.html | access-date=July 2, 2025}}</ref> He later graduated from the [[Bronx High School of Science]] in [[Kingsbridge Heights, Bronx|Kingsbridge Heights]],<ref name = Saltonstall>{{Cite web |last=Saltonstall |first=Gus |date=March 26, 2025 |title=Before Zohran Mamdani Made Waves in NYC's Mayoral Race, He Was A Kid Growing Up On the UWS |url=https://www.westsiderag.com/2025/03/26/before-zohran-mamdani-made-waves-in-nycs-mayoral-race-he-was-a-kid-growing-up-on-the-uws |access-date=March 29, 2025 |website=West Side Rag |language=en-US}}</ref> where he unsuccessfully ran for student body vice president.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/27/zohran-mamdanis-political-career-started-in-high-school.html|title=Zohran Mamdani ran for VP of his high school and lost—now he's winning the Democratic primary for NYC mayor|first=Megan|last=Sauer|date=June 27, 2025|website=CNBC}}</ref> Mamdani then attended [[Bowdoin College]] in [[Brunswick, Maine]], where he co-founded the school's chapter of [[Students for Justice in Palestine]]. He graduated in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in African studies.<ref name="jac" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sorkin |first=Emma |date=November 1, 2019 |title=Taking a stand: alumni run for office, with Bowdoin in mind |url=https://bowdoinorient.com/2019/11/01/taking-a-stand-alumni-run-for-office-with-bowdoin-in-mind/ |access-date=March 17, 2025 |website=[[The Bowdoin Orient]] |archive-date=June 11, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250611163043/https://bowdoinorient.com/2019/11/01/taking-a-stand-alumni-run-for-office-with-bowdoin-in-mind/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

During Mamdani's run for New York City mayor in 2025, [[The New York Times|''The New York Times'']] ran an article based on [[Security hacker|hacked]] material, stating that in Mamdani's 2009 application to [[Columbia University]], he had checked the race boxes "Asian" and "Black or African American." Mamdani is of [[South Asia|South Asian]] descent and was born in Uganda, and commented that his intention was to represent his complex background given the limited options available.<ref name="citizen_2025" /> The New York Times used an [[Source (journalism)#Anonymous source|anonymous source]], who was soon identified elsewhere as Jordan Lasker, a [[Eugenics|eugenicist]] and proponent of [[scientific racism]]. Commentators from [[Common Dreams]] and [[Mediaite]] described the article as a [[hit piece]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Reed |first=Brad |title=NYT Runs Hit Piece on Mamdani Based on Tip From Proponent of 'Race Science' |url=https://www.commondreams.org/news/zohran-mamdani-new-york-times |access-date=2025-07-04 |website=Common Dreams |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Luciano |first=Michael |date=2025-07-04 |title=New York Times Grants Race Science Enthusiast Anonymity in Mamdani Hit Piece |url=https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/new-york-times-grants-race-science-enthusiast-anonymity-in-mamdani-hit-piece/ |access-date=2025-07-04 |website=Mediaite |language=en}}</ref>

During Mamdani's run for New York City mayor in 2025, [[The New York Times|''The New York Times'']] ran an article based on [[Security hacker|hacked]] material, stating that in Mamdani's 2009 application to [[Columbia University]], he had checked the race boxes "Asian" and "Black or African American." Mamdani commented that his intention was to represent his Ugandan-born South Asian background given the limited options available.<ref name="citizen_2025" /> The ''Times'' used an [[Source (journalism)#Anonymous source|anonymous source]], who was soon identified elsewhere as Jordan Lasker, a [[Eugenics|eugenicist]] and proponent of [[scientific racism]]. Commentators from [[Common Dreams]] and [[Mediaite]] described the article as a [[hit piece]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Reed |first=Brad |title=NYT Runs Hit Piece on Mamdani Based on Tip From Proponent of 'Race Science' |url=https://www.commondreams.org/news/zohran-mamdani-new-york-times |access-date=2025-07-04 |website=Common Dreams |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Luciano |first=Michael |date=2025-07-04 |title=New York Times Grants Race Science Enthusiast Anonymity in Mamdani Hit Piece |url=https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/new-york-times-grants-race-science-enthusiast-anonymity-in-mamdani-hit-piece/ |access-date=2025-07-04 |website=Mediaite |language=en}}</ref>

== Career ==

== Career ==