Is Zohram Mamdani The Answer?
As a longtime community activist and advocate for Black economic development, I can't say I'm excited about Zohran Mamdani’s recent primary win for New York City Mayor. Black people are often treated as political pawns—used and discarded by both the left and the right like collateral damage.
And I say this as someone who identifies as an independent, though I’ve often voted Democrat. So-called Democratic Socialists like Bernie Sanders and Zohran Mamdani focus heavily on workers' issues. But critical Black concerns—like reparations, lack of business capital, limited access to government contracts, police brutality, banking exploitation, and redlining—are usually treated as side issues, if acknowledged at all.
To complicate my mayoral decision It's disheartening to see yet another Black mayor—Eric Adams—come under constant legal and media attack, only to be turned on by segments of the Black community. Some of the same people criticizing Adams are willing to overlook similar flaws in leaders like Andrew Cuomo. It’s a double standard.
Let’s not forget that Eric Adams earned the support of many Black New Yorkers because of his history fighting police brutality, even from within the NYPD. Unfortunately, some younger activists seem unaware of his and others' historic efforts to address gang violence and crime in our communities.