Why Indian-origin Mamdani identified as African-American in his college application

On the surface, it sounds like an act of calculated advantage-seeking. After all, Columbia, like most elite universities then, ran race-conscious admissions. Identifying as Black might have increased his chances in a system designed to redress centuries of racial exclusion. Critics, including Mayor Eric Adams, quickly pounced, calling it “an insult to every student who got into college the right way.”