Zohran Mamdani: From Street Corners to State Power

Today, Zohran Mamdani is a New York State Assembly member for District 36, known for championing tenants’ rights, fighting corporate influence, and pushing for public renewable energy. But before Albany knew his name, Astoria did. You could find him outside subway stations, talking to commuters about housing justice, translating legal jargon for tenants on the brink of eviction, and organizing without a political machine or big donors— just neighbors and a belief that power belongs to the people.

That belief still drives everything he does.

Raised by Films and Struggles

Zohran’s childhood was a study in contrasts. He was born in Uganda, raised in New York, and grew up in the creative orbit of his mother, legendary filmmaker Mira Nair, and his father, the renowned academic Mahmood Mamdani. His dinner table conversations stretched across continents and disciplines— but it was the streets of Queens that taught him how policies actually touch lives.

He saw how immigrant families juggled rent, how the subway could feel like both a lifeline and a trap. He learned early on that systems weren’t broken— they were working exactly as designed. Just not for everyone.

The Door Knock That Changed Everything

Zohran didn’t set out to become a politician. After college, he found himself working as a housing counselor, helping tenants facing eviction. He wasn’t in an office. He was on staircases, in living rooms, translating legalese into action plans. That’s where he found his calling.

It wasn’t just about saving someone’s home— it was about changing the rules that made them vulnerable in the first place.

When he finally made the decision to run for office, it didn’t come with fanfare. It came with clipboards, volunteers, and knock after knock after knock.

No Suits, No Scripts, Just People

Campaigning wasn’t about slogans. It was about listening.

He’d show up at Bengali tea shops, Egyptian bakeries, Greek delis— asking people not what they thought of politics, but how politics had failed them. The answers were raw: unaffordable housing, ICE raids, landlords who never fixed the heat.

He didn’t promise to fix everything. He promised to fight. And he won.

When he took office as Assembly member for District 36 in 2021, it wasn’t a job promotion. It was a public trust.

Not Your Average Politician

Zohran doesn’t take real estate money. He refuses corporate PAC donations. His allegiance isn’t to power brokers— it’s to the auntie trying to save her corner store, the student working night shifts, the immigrant father threatened with eviction.

In Albany, he’s become a bold, unapologetic voice for renters, workers, and the undocumented. He’s helped advance tenant protections, stood with striking delivery drivers, and co-sponsored legislation to build public renewable energy.

But more than any bill, what he’s building is belief: that the government can serve us—if we push hard enough.

The Fight Isn’t Over

For Zohran, winning a seat was just the beginning.

He still walks the streets of Astoria, not as a politician, but as a neighbor. He’s pushing for a future where energy is public, housing is a right, and community organizing is as valued as campaign ads.

Every meeting, every rally, every hard conversation is part of a larger vision: to return power to the hands of the people who’ve never truly had it.

His Words, His Legacy

Zohran once said in a public speech:

“The role of a legislator is not simply to pass laws, it is to organize with the people who put you in office.”

This belief has guided his every move— from housing rallies in Queens to late-night sessions in Albany. His story isn’t about climbing the political ladder. It’s about breaking it down and building something new— with the people, for the people.