The victory of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York marks a symbolic and political turning point for the United States. The son of Ugandan immigrants of Indian descent, a declared socialist, and an activist for tenants’ rights and public healthcare, Mamdani represents a new generation of politicians speaking a different language: that of equity, climate justice, and the redistribution of power. He is the first openly socialist mayor of the city in decades and also the first Muslim to lead New York. During his campaign, Mamdani made fighting inequality the cornerstone of his political platform: “We cannot keep calling New York the city that never sleeps if half of its families can no longer afford to live here,” he said in his first speech as elected mayor. Unlike many of his predecessors, he chose to speak openly about poverty, public housing, and minority rights, rejecting the moderate and ambiguous language typical of the Democratic establishment.
Zohran Mamdani’s words on women and LGBTQ+ communities
In one of the last interviews before the vote, Mamdani emphasized that “a just city is one where no one should fear for whom they love or the body they inhabit.” A strong, clear, and significant statement. In this regard, he promised to increase funding for support centers for trans people and introduce financial incentives for women-led and LGBTQ+ businesses. “The struggles for economic justice and gender justice are not separate; they are the same struggle,” he said. But, as often happens, the rise of new and non-aligned figures also triggers fierce reactions. And this time, the criticism did not stop at him.
Rama Duwaji, the Gen Z first lady who provokes
Caught up in the media spotlight was Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, 28, an artist, illustrator, and the first New York first lady from Generation Z. Born in Houston in 1997 to a family of Syrian descent, Duwaji lived in the United Arab Emirates and the Middle East before moving to the United States to study. She earned her degree from Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts and a master’s from the School of Visual Arts in New York. As an illustrator and graphic animator, she has collaborated with The Washington Post, BBC, VICE, and The New Yorker. Her art revolves around themes of social justice, female empowerment, and gender equality, often intertwined with elements of Arab culture and representations of Middle Eastern women. “Although I mainly work digitally, I often take breaks from technology to create handmade ceramics,” her website notes.
Online attacks and sexism on the web
Duwaji has been the target of sexist and Islamophobic attacks since the first days after her husband’s election. On social media, many right-wing commentators accused her of “Islamizing American culture” or “turning City Hall into a woke propaganda center.” Others targeted her for her artistic activism, labeling it “militant” or “too political.” Her works, often depicting female bodies, were used by conservative groups as evidence of her “indecency” or “inconsistency with religious values.” Gendered attacks were not missing either: some conservative journalists mocked the idea that “New York has a first lady who makes comics,” attempting to diminish the cultural significance of her work. But Duwaji did not respond. In an Instagram post, she simply wrote: “There is nothing more radical than staying sweet in a world that wants you silent.” Moreover, being a young woman who dresses outside traditional political norms made her an even easier target.
A symbol of change
During Mamdani’s electoral campaign, Rama Duwaji played a key role in the visual aspect: posters in yellow, orange, and pink, fresh and vibrant, helped make the campaign recognizable and inclusive. The choice of colors, she explained, “wanted to return joy, energy, and tenderness to politics.” The couple, married in February 2025, represents a different idea of power: intergenerational, hybrid, and deeply multicultural. A politics that does not fear vulnerability but claims it as strength. In a divided America, their image is provocative because it breaks the mold. But perhaps it is precisely from here, from a socialist mayor and a Gen Z artist first lady, that New York can once again be what it has always promised: a place where everything can still change.
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