"I Felt A Lot Of Shame": Mamdani's Wife Apologises For Using Racial Slurs In Old Posts

Rama Duwaji, the wife of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, has apologised for using a racial slur in old social media posts from her teenage years, The New York Times reported. In an interview with Hyperallergic published on Wednesday, Duwaji acknowledged that she had used the N-word when she was a teeanger. The posts were recently highlighted by the conservative outlet The Free Beacon, which uncovered controversial social media activity from her teenage years and early 20s. 

"When a tabloid recently published old tweets I wrote as a teenager, I felt a lot of shame being confronted with language I used that is so harmful to others. Being 15 doesn't excuse it. I've read and seen a lot of what others have had to say in response, and I understand the hurt I caused and am truly sorry," she said.

Controversial Posts

According to the outlet, a post from 2013 allegedly included the N-word. "Helllll yeah, ni***. Super duper genius, excuse you."

The report further pointed to other posts from her teenage years in which she criticised Israel, including statements that Tel Aviv should not exist and messages supporting Palestinian fighters. A post from 2015 notably stated, "F**k Tel Aviv. Shouldn't exist in the first place. They are occupiers."

Another shared post praises figures linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), an organisation designated as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union. A separate repost described US soldiers as not brave and accused them of "slaughtering third-world civilians." She said US troops were "not brave, nor are they fighting for anyone's freedom."

The outlet also reported that she had used an abbreviated slur for gay people at the same age. When asked to clarify which posts she was apologising for, a spokesperson for the mayor declined to comment.

First interview since Mamdani took office

The interview was conducted by Hakim Bishara, editor-in-chief of Hyperallergic, who met Duwaji at Gracie Mansion for a wide-ranging conversation about her art and public life. It marked her first interview since her husband took office on January 1. Bishara did not directly question her about the resurfaced posts. Instead, Duwaji addressed the issue while responding to a broader question about how public attention has affected her.

However, she did not comment on some of her more recent social media activity, which has also drawn criticism. This includes reports that she had liked posts celebrating Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. 

Meanhile, Mayor Zohran Mamdani defended his wife by emphasising that she is a "private person" who holds no formal position in his administration or campaign. He distanced his administration from her past rhetoric while maintaining his own condemnation of the October 7 attacks as war crimes.

Following the media scrutiny, Duwaji deleted or deactivated several of the old accounts in question.

Duwaji also faced backlash for contributing artwork to a collection curated by Susan Abulhawa, who has made controversial remarks about the October 7 attack. The mayor said those remarks were unacceptable and clarified that his wife had not engaged directly with the author.

In the interview, Duwaji spoke about her work as an artist, saying her focus remains on creating thoughtful and responsible art despite increased public attention. She added that her work will continue to reflect political and social issues, emphasising that art inevitably engages with the world around it. "Everything is political: what we choose to show, what we choose to omit, the stories we highlight, and the ones we leave in the margins. It has and will continue to be important for me to reflect the times around me as an artist," she said.