New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani Sits Down With Charles Blow for an Exclusive Interview with The Root

Under the soaring ceiling of the stately Governor’s Room in New York City’s City Hall, the city’s youngest mayor in more than a century — and its first Democratic Socialist — responded to an array of questions exploring his views on issues important to African Americans.

The 34-year-old was characteristically charming, but also deftly evasive, sidestepping the more challenging questions.

He delved into the evolving relationship between the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and the Black electorate. He also lit up when discussing how his African origins shaped him and his worldview, and why his parents gave him the middle name “Kwame.”

Mamdani was born in Uganda and moved with his family to South Africa when he was five. The family didn’t move to the United States until he was seven years old. For the record, he joked that he can still speak the Ugandan language, but “just enough to hustle.”

Mamdani went on to discuss the shrinking Black population of his city, the gentrification of historically Black New York neighborhoods, the extreme segregation of the city’s public schools, whether he believes he needs to have a specific “Black agenda,” his position on reparations and his tumultuous relationship with Donald Trump.

The consistent theme in Mamdani’s responses was his steadfast belief that his economic agenda, focused on childcare, transportation, housing and overall affordability, was fundamental to improving the lives and conditions of New Yorkers — not a panacea, but a force that would be not merely be widely beneficial but transformative.

When asked what New York would have to look like at the end of his term for him to consider his tenure to have been successful, he replied simply, “A more affordable city.”