While reading articles about Zohran Mamdani when he was running for mayor of New York City, I read quotes about Mamdani from Erica Berry, our former host student who was a friend of Mamdani at Bowdoin. I called Erica before the election to get her take on Mamdani. Erica, a professional writer (“Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear”) was happy to talk about her friend and fellow Polar Bear. “Zohran lived on my floor during my first year,” she said. “He was a connector, a community builder, always bringing different types of people together. He was definitely a progressive, but he was friendly and authentic, not a political performer. “As sophomores, we were co-editors of the Bowdoin Orient. I ultimately became the editor, and he continued on as a reporter.” When I asked Erica if she thought Zohran would win the election and, if so, would he be a good mayor, she said, “I hope he wins, and I think he would be a very good mayor. He cares deeply about justice, and he’ll surround himself with good people who are inspired by his convictions. He’s a tremendous listener with a deep sense of curiosity. And he’s passionate about the world.” After Mamdani won the mayoral election by a huge margin, Bowdoin sent out an Instagram post about Mamdani, which many Bowdoin students and alumni viewed as tepid at best, more like a factual reporting than a display of enthusiasm for a Bowdoin graduate being elected to head the world’s most influential city. I share their disappointment; moreover, I believe that too many institutions across the U. S. have erred in trying to avoid the wrath of Trump. Some people say that Mamdani has unrealistic expectations or that he is too young to hold the office or that, in the view of Trump, he is a communist who will destroy New York. I grant that few of his goals will be achievable, given the costs and the political realities. That said, I believe he will help make real progress in making changes that are needed. As for those who dismiss Mamdani as a “communist,” I wonder how they feel about that “great businessman and political leader” who has spent his time during the government shutdown, hosting Great Gatsby-esque fundraisers in his Florida retreat, tearing down historic buildings in Washington, DC, proposing presidential coins with his picture on both sides, and using masked men holding guns to capture Americans (including babies and toddlers) for the crime of being brown. Give me Mamdani any day of the week over a madman who cares not one whit about the health and humanity of the American citizenry. Excerpts from a recent piece in the New York Times by Zaina Arafat entitled, “Mamdani Made Ordinary New York Look Extraordinary” bears sharing: “As a Palestinian America professor and writer, one who is also Muslim and diasporic, with ties both here and elsewhere, I can relate to embodying intersecting and at times contradictory identities. My first point of connection with others is always our shared humanity. Our shared everydayness. “People everywhere all want the same things: To spend time with their kids at the neighborhood playground, and to get them to leave when it’s time to go home. To buy them their own purple scooter, just like the one their best friend has. To get home from work in time to tuck them in. We all want a life of dignity, for ourselves and our families. “By not shying away from the less glamorized settings of New York City, by demonstrating precise knowledge of the lives of immigrant and first-generation New Yorkers, Mr. Mamdani was able to connect first to our shared humanity.” “Connecting to our shared humanity” What a novel concept to consider during these chaotic times. May Zohran Mamdani be successful in helping New York become a more affordable and more humane city. Go, You Bear.
https://www.pressherald.com/2025/11/17/a-look-at-nyc-mayors-ties-to-bowdoin-college/
A look at NYC mayor’s ties to Bowdoin College
