External links
| Honorary titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | First Lady of New York City Taking role 2026 | Designate |
| |
| Electoral history | |
| Family |
|
| See also | |
Rama Duwaji | |
|---|---|
| First Lady-designate of New York City | |
| Assuming office January 1, 2026 | |
| Mayor | Zohran Mamdani (elect) |
| Succeeding | Tracey Collins (de facto) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Rama Sawaf Duwaji June 30,1997 Houston,Texas,U.S. |
| Spouse | |
| Relatives |
|
| Education | |
| Occupation |
|
| Website | ramaduwaji.com |
Rama Sawaf Duwaji [a] (born June 30, 1997) is an American animator, illustrator, and ceramist. Throughout her career, her illustrations have been featured in The New Yorker and The Washington Post , as well as at BBC, Apple, and Tate Modern.
Duwaji is married to politician Zohran Mamdani, who was elected mayor of New York City in the 2025 election, and will thus assume the role of First Lady of New York City on January 1, 2026.
Rama Sawaf Duwaji [1] was born on June 30, 1997 [2] in Houston, Texas, to Syrian Muslim parents from Damascus. [2] [3] [4] Her father is a software developer and her mother is a doctor. [5] The family moved to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, when she was nine years old, [5] [6] and she spent the remainder of her childhood living among the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. [7]
Duwaji has described drawing as her solace, and she would often get in trouble for doodling in her textbooks and notebooks at school. [5] Her parents were supportive of her love of art, but encouraged her to be practical with her career choices. [5] After graduating from high school, Duwaji studied communication arts at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts. [5] [6] She first attended classes at the school's satellite campus in Doha, Qatar, during her freshman year, then transferred to its main campus in Richmond, Virginia, [5] [6] where she obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts cum laude in 2019. [5] [8]
Duwaji then returned to her family in Dubai and participated in various artist residencies, including in Beirut, Lebanon, and in Paris, France, [5] until moving to New York City in 2021 to study illustration as a visual essay at the School of Visual Arts. [5] There, she earned a Master of Fine Arts in 2024, [5] [9] with a graduate thesis focused on making and sharing dishes as a communal act. [5] After obtaining her master's degree, Duwaji was one of 24 artists selected for an artist residency in the Catskill Mountains, New York, from more than 500 applicants. [5]
Duwaji's illustrations often explore Arab culture and focus on social justice in the Middle East, particularly women's rights, [4] [9] but also depict scenes of daily life in those countries. [5] She creates art based on her own experiences and the issues she cares about. [10] Her work has been published in The New York Times and The Washington Post , as well as British outlets and venues like the BBC and Tate Modern, and she has collaborated with Spotify and Apple. [3] [9]
Since 2023, Duwaji has created numerous works about the Gaza genocide and the Israel–Hezbollah conflict, as well as artwork supporting the victims of the Sudanese Civil War. [5] [11]
Duwaji first met Zohran Mamdani –the son of academic Mahmood Mamdani and filmmaker Mira Nair –on the dating app Hinge in 2021, when he was a member of the New York State Assembly. [5] [6] [9] [12] They were engaged in October 2024, [6] held a private nikah ceremony two months later, [9] and married in February 2025 in a civil ceremony at New York City Hall; [5] [11] they also had a ceremony in Uganda –Mamdani's birth country –in July 2025. [5] The couple currently resides in Mamdani's legislative district of Astoria, Queens, near Steinway Street. [4] [5]
Following Mamdani's victory in the 2025 mayoral election, Duwaji is set to become First Lady of New York City in January 2026, [5] making her the first Gen Z-er and the first Muslim to assume the role. [13] She helped curate visuals for his campaign. [2] [14]