In a world of consistently depressing news days, the election of Zohran Mamdani as New York City mayor really is a welcome relief. The 34-year-old socialist Democrat promises to transform the city and be “Trump’s worst nightmare.” His election also means New York City is getting its first Gen Z First Lady.
Rama Duwaji, Zohran Mamdani's wife, is a Syrian-American 28-year-old illustrator and animator whose powerful work often deals with themes that span Arab culture, sisterhood and social justice. Her work has been published by the likes of The New York Times, The Washington Post, the BBC and the Tate Modern.
“To my incredible wife, Rama, hayati,” Mamdani said, using the Arabic word for “my life,” during his acceptance speech. “There is no one I would rather have by my side in this moment, and in every moment.”
So who is Rama Duwaji? Here's what we know about New York City's first Gen Z First Lady…
As she is honoured as a 2025 Glamour Woman of the Year in the UK and the US, the Snow White and Evita star sits down with her friend, former costar, and legendary actor Helen Mirren.
Rama Duwaji is a Brooklyn-based Syrian-American who grew up in Dubai
Rama Duwaji was born on 30 June, 1997 in Houston, Texas to Syrian Muslim parents who hailed from Damascus.
She briefly attended the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar after her family relocated to Dubai, before transferring to the school’s Richmond, Virginia campus to finish her BFA in Communication Design. She moved to New York City in 2021 to pursue her artistic career.
Rama Duwaji's work as an artist is nothing short of fascinating
As Mamdani said after their 2024 wedding, “Rama isn’t just my wife, she’s an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms.”
Her work spans numerous mediums, from editorial illustrations, to screen prints, to children illustrations, to graphic novels. "Creating imagery of women of colour in healing spaces, she tells her stories through black and white portraiture and symbolism," one biography reads. Her recent work has also openly criticised ICE and the genocide in Gaza.
Instagram content
“I focus on making art about my experiences and the things I care about, and the community that forms from conversations about my work — both online and in person — happens organically,” she told Yung magazine. “I make my work for people who care about the things I care about. If it happens to engage someone or loop them into a conversation about politics or community they might not have thought of being a part of, it is an added bonus instead of the actual goal of making art.”
She also opened up about the political undertones of her work: “I’m not going to lie, things are dark right now in NYC. I worry for my friends and family, and things feel completely out of my hands. My art stays being a reflection of what’s happening around me, but right now what feels even more useful than my role as an artist, is my role as a US citizen. With so many people being pushed out and silenced by fear, all I can do is use my voice to speak out about what’s happening in the US and Palestine and Syria as much as I can.”
She and Zohran Mamdani met on Hinge
Mamdani and Duwaji's meet-cute is surprisingly relatable: they met on a dating app in 2021. Hinge, to be specific. "So there is still hope in those dating apps," Mamdani joked while speaking to The Bulwark in June.
They announced their engagement in October and held a Dubai engagement party in December. They wed in February at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau and later travelled to Uganda, Mamdani's birthplace, for a July ceremony.
Instagram content
Rama Duwaji played a quiet but crucial role in his campaign
Although Duwaji hasn't played a prominent, public role in her husband's campaign, according to CNN, her support has been vital. She has reportedly been present behind-the-scenes for many imporant campaign moments, though she hasn't appeared publicly. Apparently, she also played a key role in designing the Mamdani brand's iconography.
“What she is posting has been in line with many of the things that Mamdani has talked about,” Lisa Burns, a professor of media studies at Quinnipiac University reflected to CNN. “I’m starting to see some of that work merging, where the advocacy work that she is doing will support the work he is doing — even if it’s separate — as opposed to detracting from it.”
In June, Duwaji shared a rare statement about her husband's work, sharing photos of them together at an Eid Banquet. “Couldn't possibly be prouder,” she wrote alongside the snaps.
Since the right-wing US pundit, Charlie Kirk, was shot dead on Wednesday afternoon, many have asked online commentators to disregard his controversial viewpoints when discussing his death. But how do you separate a man from his politics when his politics was one of hate and violence?
.png)
