Podcast, The Take

The New York City mayoral candidate is in the spotlight for his Ugandan heritage. What does it reveal about race in the US?

Published On 1 Oct 20251 Oct 2025

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Zohran Mamdani, born in Uganda and raised in New York, is in the lead to become the city’s next mayor. His complex identity has sparked debate in the United States. From questions about race to immigrant experiences, his story is challenging the way Americans think about identity, politics, and who gets power.

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In this episode:

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Kisaa Zehra and Marcos Bartolomé, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Melanie Marich, Duha Mosaad, Tracie Hunte, Farhan Rafid and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Kylene Kiang and Sarí el-Khalil. 

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

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