Congratulations to Zohran Mamdani for winning the New York City mayoral election and becoming the first Muslim, first South Asian American and third African American to become mayor of New York City.
The now elected mayor of New York City, Mamdani has claimed that he is both Asian, having South Indian heritage, and African American, having African heritage, being that he was born in Uganda, an East African country.
As a high school senior, on a Columbia University college application, he identified himself as Asian and Black or African American. To make his birth origin clear, he wrote in “Ugandan” on the form.
Mamdani is currently a state lawmaker from Queens, N.Y. He also has dual citizenship of the United States and Uganda. Hence, with his American citizenship and African heritage and nationality, he is an African American.
One does not have to be a descendant of enslaved Africans to make the claim that they are African American. Again, what is important is citizenship and place of birth or nationality.
Both of Mamdani’s parents are South Asian/Indian. His father’s family has lived in Uganda for decades. Mamdani spent his early years in Uganda to the age of five. Then the family moved to South Africa for two years and then settled in the United States.
Before going further, remember, race is a social construct. There is only one race, the human race in which we all are Homo sapiens sapiens.
Hence: We are all Homo sapiens sapiens and we share all this evolution. Homo sapiens sapiens evolved in Africa and then migrated throughout all the continents. Hence, in a biological sense, we are all from the African continent and therefore, we are all African.
I am glad that Mamdani has claimed that he is African American.
I wish he would claim his African Americanness more proudly. All he has to do is make the argument by means of his African heritage and his American citizenship, therefore he is African American. He is also a South Asian American. As well as a Muslim American.
We all have genetic and cultural roots that indicate the passage of our unique paths culturally and genetically.
Citizenship and nationality have objective legal and identity meanings. Nationality is based on where one is born. Citizenship is based on a country giving you citizenship by birth or through a legal process to become a citizen of that country, naturalization.
Let us now look at the culture and citizenship of individuals that can claim that they are African American.
I am an African American because I have American citizenship. I am a descendant from African enslaved people. My DNA test analysis, Ancestry.com, indicated that I am 70% Nigerian. Therefore, I am an African American or a Nigerian American.
One might ask: So you would have no problem with an Afrikaner immigrant to the United States describing himself as African American on a college application?
No, I would not. To remain consistent with my argument, if he/she were born on the African continent and came to America and obtained American citizenship, they would be African American and they could identify themselves that way on a college application as Mamdani did.
The issue is not the description one uses, the issue is African heritage and American citizenship.
Again, if he/she is an American citizen and has African heritage, I have no problem with an Afrikaner identifying as African American to improve their chances on a college application.
I make the argument that I think it is important to know the ethnic/racial heritage, citizenship and lineage of people immigrating to the United States and applying for American citizenship.
Again, a phenotypically presenting white person, who was born in Africa, and then obtains American citizenship, could apply for college, be identified as and seek employment as an African American.
And, consistent with my argument, he/she is an African American.
America is a multicultural and multiethnic democracy, and it is important to document the different ethnic, racial and related cultures that make up the diversity of North America or the United States of America.
Yes, Zohran Mamdani is an African American.
