‘Black folks are pissed’: The Root slams NYC First Lady’s racist posts

A report from The Root highlighted growing frustration among black Americans, many of whom had previously supported Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife, but now say they feel blindsided by Duwaji’s comments.

“Black folks are pissed,” the outlet wrote, pointing to backlash over Duwaji’s past posts, including a 2013 message in which she, who is not black, used the N-word while interacting with another user. She was reportedly 15 years old at the time.

The post, tied to an account operating under the handle @_RamaDee, read: “Helllll yeah, n*gga. Super duper genius* excuse you.”

The outlet stated, "Black folks were left stunned and outraged after throwing their support to Mamdani and his wife. To many, her posts felt like a slap in the face."

https://twitter.com/LevineJonathan/status/2036920371539067161?s=20

The resurfaced content has sparked strong reactions online, with critics arguing that the language is unacceptable regardless of her age at the time.“Rama Duwaji — the wife of Zohran Mamdani doesn’t get to say the word,” one user wrote on X. Others expressed frustration that the controversy surfaced only after many had already rallied behind Mamdani during his rise in city politics.

According to the outlet, Duwaji had built a following among some black supporters through her fashion and artistic presence during Mamdani’s campaign, making the revelations particularly jarring, writing "Following other instances of minority groups using slurs against Black people– namely, the 2026 Oscars’ N-word scandal– Duwaji’s posts were just as horrific."

The backlash comes amid a series of controversies surrounding Duwaji’s past online activity. Earlier reporting found that she shared posts praising members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a US-designated terrorist organization, including a 2017 post featuring plane hijacker Leila Khaled alongside a quote expressing willingness to die for a cause, specifically in her case, the destruction of the state of Israel.

She also circulated content tied to the First Intifada, reposted messages attacking the US military, and amplified claims blaming “white people” for the creation of al Qaeda. Other posts included anti-Israel rhetoric, such as statements that Tel Aviv “shouldn’t exist in the first place.”

More recently, reports indicated that Duwaji had liked Instagram posts celebrating Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, including one that dismissed reports of sexual violence as a “mass rape hoax.”

Amid mounting scrutiny, Duwaji deleted her old X account earlier this month. Her Instagram account, which has roughly 2 million followers, remains active.

She has also faced criticism for producing artwork for the Democratic Socialists of America’s “PalestineOnTheBallot.com” campaign and having her illustrations featured in a Brooklyn public school classroom at a school that rejected a Holocaust survivor as a speaker.

Mayor Mamdani has defended his wife, emphasizing that she does not hold a formal role in his administration. Critics, however, argue that the impact of Duwaji’s past posts extends beyond political debate and into broader cultural and community concerns.

Weeks after the posts first resurfaced, reactions continue to circulate online, with some questioning whether additional material could emerge, and what it may mean for the mayor’s political standing among key constituencies.