On the surface, Rama Duwaji may be best known as the wife of New York State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, but in 2025, her name is making headlines for much more than her marriage, similar to how Milana Vayntrub has used her platform to advocate for Syrian refugees and storytelling through activism.
A community advocate with Syrian roots, Rama Duwaji is emerging as a significant figure in the intersections of social justice, refugee activism, and cultural storytelling, both in her local Brooklyn neighborhood and beyond.
As the spouse of one of the most progressive political voices in New York, Duwaji has long balanced her activism with the public scrutiny of political life. However, in 2025, following her participation in a widely shared grassroots campaign advocating for displaced Syrian families and her TEDx talk on diasporic identity and healing through storytelling, she has found her voice, one that’s now gaining traction on platforms like Instagram and YouTube. A recent short film she co-produced about Arab-American identity garnered tens of thousands of views within days of its release, pushing her into trending territory.
For those looking her up on Wikipedia or scouring Instagram bios for clues about her background, the growing interest in Rama Duwaji isn’t surprising. She represents a unique blend of personal history, public purpose, and progressive politics, making her one of 2025’s quietly rising cultural influencers.
Rama Duwaji's Early Life, Syrian Family, and Education
Rama Duwaji was born in the United States in 1996; however, her family's story reaches far beyond America's borders. She is of Syrian-American artist, raised in a household deeply rooted in both Arabic culture and immigrant resilience. Though her exact birthdate and zodiac sign are not widely publicized, Rama is believed to be in her late twenties as of 2025. Her family’s journey from Syria to the United States informs much of her activism and creative work.
She grew up in a close-knit Muslim household, where Arabic was spoken at home and values like community care, hospitality, and social justice were more than just abstract ideals — they were daily practices. While her parents' full names remain private, they are known to have been involved in community service and small business, with strong ties to the Syrian diaspora.
Though not much is publicly disclosed about her siblings, Rama has occasionally mentioned in interviews the importance of sisterhood and familial support during her formative years. These themes often show up in her advocacy and storytelling work.
Duwaji’s childhood was shaped by a bicultural reality — navigating the hyphenated identity of being Syrian-American. Teachers and mentors have described her as “deeply reflective” and “socially aware” even in her early teens. She attended high school in Northern Virginia, where she began volunteering with refugee support organizations during the height of the Syrian civil war crisis in the early 2010s.
For college, she enrolled at New York University (NYU), majoring in Middle Eastern Studies and minoring in Gender Studies. Her time at NYU would become transformative, not just educationally, but politically and artistically. It was during this time that she began organizing with campus groups, writing poetry about displacement, and later interning with refugee aid groups in Turkey and Lebanon.
Standing at an estimated 5 feet 6 inches tall with a warm, grounded presence, Rama Duwaji carries herself with the quiet confidence of someone rooted in purpose. Though her public appearances are limited, her message speaks loudly.
Who Is Rama Duwaji’s Husband? Personal Life & Marriage
In a world where political figures often face intense scrutiny, Rama Duwaji and her husband, Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, have created a narrative grounded in shared values and mutual respect. The two met on Hinge sometime around 2018 through overlapping activism circles in New York City, reportedly bonding over their love for poetry, justice, and a deep-rooted concern for marginalized voices.
The couple married in a private ceremony in 2021, surrounded by family and close friends, and have since become one of the most quietly powerful progressive duos in New York's political and activist landscape. While Zohran is often in the legislative spotlight, Rama maintains a more measured public presence, stepping into the public eye primarily when it serves a cause or community she cares about.
As of 2025, the couple does not have children, and they’ve openly spoken about their desire to focus on advocacy and creative work before considering family planning. They reside in Astoria, Queens, the district Zohran represents, in a modest, community-centered household where political meetings, storytelling salons, and grassroots organizing often intersect.
There are no verified reports or public records of past relationships involving Rama, and she has largely kept her personal life out of the social media realm. However, her deep emotional partnership with Mamdani has occasionally been referenced in speeches and interviews, including a 2023 panel discussion where Zohran credited Rama’s "compassionate courage" as a source of his political grounding.
Their marriage, far from being a tabloid affair, reflects a modern partnership, a collaborative one, rooted in ideals, and intentionally private without being secretive.
Rama Duwaji Career, TEDx Talks, and Syrian Refugee Activism
Though Rama Duwaji is not a politician, her career trajectory has unfolded at the crossroads of activism, storytelling, and community care. Her early career involved direct service work with refugee organizations such as the International Rescue Committee and grassroots Syrian-American mutual aid collectives.
After graduating from NYU in 2018, she worked as a program coordinator at an immigrant youth arts nonprofit, helping young artists of color produce zines, visual projects, and digital storytelling campaigns. This formative period helped solidify her reputation as a facilitator of healing through creative expression.
In 2021, she co-founded a small multimedia initiative called “Roots in Exile,” focused on elevating stories of the Arab diaspora. akin to documentary and justice-focused storytelling by creatives like Miriam Haley, who uses film to spotlight survivor and social justice narratives.
. One of her first viral pieces, a spoken-word short titled “Letters to Damascus,” gained over 200,000 views after being shared by Palestinian-American poet Naomi Shihab Nye and retweeted by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.
Duwaji has also spoken at Columbia University, The People’s Forum in Manhattan, and more recently, delivered a powerful TEDx talk in Brooklyn titled “Reimagining Home After Exile.” The talk explored the psychological toll of inherited displacement and how storytelling can become a tool for intergenerational healing.
In 2025, she is producing a limited YouTube documentary series exploring Arab-American identity across three generations of immigrants. The project is funded in part by a grant from the Ford Foundation and is set to release in late 2025.
Though she holds no official government role, Rama’s impact on community arts and cross-cultural dialogue continues to grow, making her one of the most meaningful — albeit understated — cultural voices of her generation.
Net Worth, Income Sources & Lifestyle in 2025
As of 2025, Rama Duwaji’s estimated net worth is around $150,000 to $250,000, primarily from her nonprofit consulting, speaking engagements, and creative projects. She does not live a celebrity lifestyle, quite the opposite, often emphasizing ethical consumption and anti-capitalist values in her public work.
Her income sources include project grants, honoraria from speaking events, occasional adjunct lectures, and collaborative media productions. She has also been involved with community grantmaking initiatives through organizations like the Brooklyn Arts Council and The Opportunity Agenda.
While she and Mamdani do not flaunt wealth, they are known for supporting community-based mutual aid efforts and regularly contribute to local initiatives in Queens and Brooklyn. They live in a rented apartment rather than owning property, and often use public transit, a point Zohran once humorously noted in a campaign video.
Though her lifestyle is modest, it is purposeful, minimalist, ethically aware, and rooted in social equity.
Rama Duwaji Bio: 2025 Quick Facts You Should Know
Rama Duwaji is a Syrian-American community organizer, storyteller, and the wife of New York Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani. Born in the U.S. to immigrant parents from Syria, she studied Middle Eastern Studies at NYU and has dedicated her life to amplifying the voices of displaced communities.
As of 2025, she’s gaining recognition for her creative advocacy work, including a TEDx talk, viral poetry films, and a forthcoming YouTube documentary series. Deeply principled and creatively driven, Duwaji represents the rising tide of cultural leaders redefining what influence looks like in the age of digital activism.
Frequently Asked Questions About Rama Duwaji (2025)
Is Rama Duwaji on Wikipedia?
As of mid-2025, Rama Duwaji does not have a standalone Wikipedia page, but she is frequently mentioned in articles about her husband, Zohran Mamdani, and media profiles related to her activism.
What does Rama Duwaji do for a living?
Rama works as a cultural advocate, storyteller, and nonprofit consultant. She focuses on Syrian-American identity, refugee justice, and creative expression.
How did Rama Duwaji and Zohran Mamdani meet?
They met through activist circles in New York City around 2018 and later married in 2021.
Is Rama Duwaji active on social media?
Yes, she maintains a public Instagram account where she shares updates on her art, activism, and collaborative projects such as “Roots in Exile.” She uses social media thoughtfully to engage with her audience while maintaining a focus on her community work.