By The Weekly Vision Reporter
Another American of East African heritage, Zohran Kwame Mamdani, is making global headlines after being elected Mayor of New York City on 4th November. Born and raised in Kampala, Uganda, Mamdani moved to New York City with his family at the age of seven. He is a graduate of the New York City Public School System, where he attended Bronx High School of Science, later earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College. He became a naturalised American citizen in 2018.
Commenting on his historic victory, New York-based Kenyan journalist Salim Lone described Mamdani as “the best-known young political leader across the entire globe.” “Emerging literally out of the blue, his astonishing election, at 34, as New York City’s mayor is almost surreal. This new role for the rising progressive gives him instant global relevance,” Lone wrote on Facebook, noting that Mamdani follows in the footsteps of Barack Obama, the first American with Kenyan roots to be elected Senator and later President.
“For the second time in a decade, we have seen one of our continent’s most renowned public intellectuals, Prof Mahmood Mamdani, and his accomplished spouse, filmmaker Mira Nair, raise an exceptional child who has become a much greater phenom than the parents,” Lone added. “We pray for his success, as that could begin a wider change for the better, though there is overwhelming opposition primed to stop him.”
Lone went on to celebrate other African success stories, recalling that “before the Mamdanis, Kenya a decade earlier offered the world the dazzling Lupita Nyong’o, daughter of Professor (Governor) Anyang’ Nyong’o and Dorothy Nyong’o, who won an Academy Award for her acting.” He also hailed the recent triumphs of Hellen Obiri and Benson Kipruto, who won the women’s and men’s categories of the New York City Marathon.
He concluded by noting that Mamdani’s victory came “despite Obama and the entire Democratic Party leadership refusing to endorse him,” which, he argued, signals “a huge revolt of voters in the United States.”
Before entering politics, Mamdani represented the 36th Assembly District in Queens, covering Astoria, Ditmars-Steinway, and Astoria Heights. He previously worked as a foreclosure prevention housing counsellor, helping low-income homeowners of colour across Queens fight eviction and keep their homes, an experience that inspired his political career.
According to his official biography, Mamdani’s activism began in high school, where he co-founded the school’s first-ever cricket team, later helping establish his college’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter. His early experiences in organising and advocacy, coupled with stints in film, rap, and writing, shaped his progressive worldview. “Organising,” his biography notes, “ensured that the events of our world would not lead him to despair, but to action.”
Now, as the first Ugandan-born and East African-descended Mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani’s rise marks a new chapter in the growing global influence of African-born leaders on the world stage.
