Race Equals Self-Identification
False Assumption: Racial categories on official forms like college applications and censuses are flexible personal self-identities rather than fixed biological ancestries.
Written by FARAgent on February 10, 2026
In the late 20th century, academics began promoting the idea that race is purely a social construct, devoid of biological roots. This view gained traction in policy circles, influencing how racial categories appeared on official forms like censuses and college applications. Writers like Will Shetterly, a white author from Minneapolis, amplified the notion, arguing that individuals could self-identify freely across racial lines. Federal guidelines for categories such as "Black or African American" aimed at ancestral origins, but interpretations loosened, fostering the assumption that these labels reflected personal identity rather than fixed biology. By the 2000s, this flexibility seemed embedded in affirmative action programs, where college presidents quietly acknowledged the need for aid to descendants of American slaves, yet allowed broader self-identification.
Scandals soon emerged. In 2009, Paulo Serodio, a medical student born in Mozambique, identified as African American and faced suspension from his program after disputes over his racial claims; his lawsuit was dismissed, derailing his career. More recently, in 2025, Zohran Mamdani, son of an Academy Award winner and Ivy League professor, drew scrutiny for applying to college as Black, despite his South Asian heritage. New York Times reporter Shawn Hubler defended this as capturing complex backgrounds, while commentator Will Stancil tweeted in support, framing it as good-faith self-expression. Critics pointed to harms, including elite immigrants accessing benefits intended for disadvantaged groups, which fueled questions about affirmative action's fairness.
The debate remains hotly contested. Mounting evidence challenges the assumption of flexible self-identification, with critics arguing it undermines targeted equity programs and ignores biological ancestry. Proponents, however, maintain that race's social fluidity justifies personal choice. Experts are split, and the issue continues to spark public backlash.
People Involved
- In New York City, Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic nominee for mayor and son of an Academy Award winner and Ivy League professor, checked 'Black or African American' on his Columbia University application in 2009. He had Indian heritage and was born in Uganda. Critics argue this move sought affirmative action privileges. [1][3]
- Shawn Hubler, a New York Times reporter, defended such self-identification. She portrayed it as capturing complex backgrounds, a nuanced personal struggle. [1]
- Will Shetterly, a white writer from Minneapolis, promoted the view that race is a social construct. He argued it has outlived its time. [1] College presidents understood that descendants of American slaves underperform academically without aid. They admitted foreign elites to pad black statistics, knowing the biological limits but concealing them. [1]
- Will Stancil, a commentator, tweeted defenses of Mamdani's choice. He claimed US race categories are loose social groupings that confound clean taxonomies, especially for Africans from Gujarat. [2]
- Paulo Serodio, a white Mozambican-born US citizen and medical student, tried to self-identify as 'white African-American.' He faced punishment, highlighting limits for non-black Africans. [2]
- Crémieux, an academic opponent of affirmative action, obtained hacked Columbia data in 2025.
- He shared Mamdani's self-ID with the New York Times, exposing misuse. [3]
- Elizabeth Warren, a white senator, pretended to be American Indian for academic benefits. [3]
- The Malone brothers, Paul and Philip, white Boston firemen, initially applied as whites but retook exams as blacks to meet quotas. They were fired after exposure. [3]
- Mindy Kaling’s brother, a South Asian male, claimed black on an application. [3]
▶ Supporting Quotes (12)
“Zohran Mamdani — the Democratic nominee for mayor, who is of Indian heritage and was born in Uganda — confirmed to The Times that, as a high school senior, he had identified himself on a Columbia University college application as “Asian” and “Black or African American” and also wrote in “Ugandan” on the form.”— What's the Difference Between "Race" and "Ethnicity?"
“The New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani said that his background doesn’t fit neatly into simple categories. Others say they’ve struggled with the same issue.”— What's the Difference Between "Race" and "Ethnicity?"
““Race is a social construct that has outlived its time,” Will Shetterly, 69, wrote in the questionnaire.”— What's the Difference Between "Race" and "Ethnicity?"
“the reason they have affirmative action is because descendants of American slaves just aren’t bright enough on average to come close to equaling their share of the population in intellectually elite institutions without a helping hand. So, they also want to let in foreign elites to pad the black statistics.”— What's the Difference Between "Race" and "Ethnicity?"
“Will Stancil tweets in defense of NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani checking the “Black or African American” race box on his college applications: Part of the reason race drives people insane is that they're trying to create some kind of logically complete racial taxonomy and it CANNOT BE DONE. "Race" in the US is a bunch of loose social groupings associated with appearance, ancestry, national origin, religion, language”— Will Stancil Defends Zohran Mamdani's Blackness
“Everybody knows the most privileged race box to check is “Black or African American,” which is why this ambitious young fellow, who is now running for mayor of New York City at age 33, checked it.”— Will Stancil Defends Zohran Mamdani's Blackness
“Paulo Serodio says he is. Born and raised in Mozambique and now a naturalized U.S. citizen, Serodio, 45, has filed a lawsuit against a New Jersey medical school, claiming he was harassed and ultimately suspended for identifying himself during a class cultural exercise as a "white African-American."”— Will Stancil Defends Zohran Mamdani's Blackness
“Asked to identify his race, he checked a box that he was “Asian” but also “Black or African American,” according to internal data derived from a hack of Columbia University that was shared with The New York Times.”— Crémieux reveals Mamdani applied to college as "Black or African American"
“The data was shared with The Times by an intermediary who goes by the name Crémieux on Substack and X and who is an academic and an opponent of affirmative action.”— Crémieux reveals Mamdani applied to college as "Black or African American"
“In the United States, it’s pretty common for white female academics such as Senator Elizabeth Warren to pretend to be American Indian or Hispanic”— Crémieux reveals Mamdani applied to college as "Black or African American"
“The most famous case is the Malone twins, Paul and Philip, who initially applied as whites to be Boston firemen. But they weren’t bright enough to reach the minimum test score for white applicants. Yet they were clever enough to retake the exam as blacks”— Crémieux reveals Mamdani applied to college as "Black or African American"
“In contrast, Mamdani is the second South Asian male notorious for claiming to be black on an academic application. The first was actress Mindy Kaling’s brother.”— Crémieux reveals Mamdani applied to college as "Black or African American"
Organizations Involved
The New York Times published articles framing self-identification confusion as a sympathetic demographic challenge. This promoted flexible racial categories. [1] The US Census Bureau defines race by biological ancestry. It faces pressure to adjust categories, like adding MENA, reflecting institutional confusion over self-ID. [1] The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey enforced racial categories strictly. It suspended Paulo Serodio after he self-identified as 'white African-American,' citing offensiveness to people of color. [2] Columbia University enforced race-conscious affirmative action admissions. It relied on self-reported race, enabling advantages for claimed minorities like Mamdani. [3]
▶ Supporting Quotes (4)
“How Do You Self-Identify? For Many Americans, Checking a Box Won’t Do. The New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani said that his background doesn’t fit neatly into simple categories. Others say they’ve struggled with the same issue.”— What's the Difference Between "Race" and "Ethnicity?"
“The federal Census Bureau defines "Black or African American" to be "Individuals with origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa, including, for example, African American, Jamaican, Haitian, Nigerian, Ethiopian, and Somali."”— What's the Difference Between "Race" and "Ethnicity?"
“After Serodio labeled himself as a white African-American, another student said she was offended by his comments and that, because of his white skin, was not an African-American. According to the lawsuit, Serodio was summoned to Duncan's office where he was instructed "never to define himself as an African-American … because it was offensive to others and to people of color for him to do so."”— Will Stancil Defends Zohran Mamdani's Blackness
“Columbia, like many elite universities, used a race-conscious affirmative action admissions program at the time. Reporting that his race was Black or African American in addition to Asian could have given an advantage to Mr. Mamdani”— Crémieux reveals Mamdani applied to college as "Black or African American"
The Foundation
The idea that race is a social construct without biological meaning gained traction in academic circles by the late 20th century. It seemed credible but ignored federal ancestry standards. This led to beliefs in unlimited self-ID for benefits. [1] The federal Black category was limited to African racial origins. It seemed clear, yet spawned the sub-belief that birth in places like Uganda qualifies anyone as Black or African American. [1] Critics argue that the belief in US race categories as 'loose social groupings' that 'NEVER, and CANNOT, work around the edges' captured fuzzy realities. But it misled by ignoring their purpose for affirmative action to sub-Saharan blacks, generating the sub-belief that African origin alone qualifies. [2] 'African American' became a synonym for 'black' in Census history. This seemed credible but proved misleading for immigrants, propping up the sub-belief that any African qualifies despite the intent for black descendants. [2] American race classification operated on a self-identification honor system. Applicants checked boxes they wanted. This seemed credible because most whites were honest, but it enabled fraud by non-blacks claiming black status and generated the sub-belief that complex backgrounds justify multiple minority claims. [3]
▶ Supporting Quotes (5)
““Race is a social construct that has outlived its time,” Will Shetterly, 69, wrote in the questionnaire. White people keep telling each other this, but blacks who aren’t academics pay zero attention.”— What's the Difference Between "Race" and "Ethnicity?"
“Zohran Mamdani is not an individual with origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. "Racial" means ancestral, not place of birth or citizenship or nationality.”— What's the Difference Between "Race" and "Ethnicity?"
“These categories roughly reflect social groups that exist on the ground but they NEVER, and CANNOT, work around the edges. All racial taxonomies break apart when you look at the edges, because they're just trying to capture big fuzzy social groupings at the highest level.”— Will Stancil Defends Zohran Mamdani's Blackness
““African American” is not there for Elon Musk or Zohran Mamdani to check, it’s just there as a synonym for “black,” the way “Negro” was on the Census up through 2000:”— Will Stancil Defends Zohran Mamdani's Blackness
“In America, race classifications work largely on a self-identification honor system: You check the box or boxes that you want to represent you.”— Crémieux reveals Mamdani applied to college as "Black or African American"
How It Spread
Mainstream media like the New York Times spread self-ID flexibility through sympathetic stories of multiracial struggles. They drew hundreds of responses to questionnaires. [1] Naive white liberals on social media defended abuses like Mamdani's. They cited complex identities, amplifying ignorance of affirmative action mechanics. [1] The assumption spread via social media. Will Stancil tweeted that immigrants from Africa check 'Black or African-American' due to poor fit of US categories. He urged empathy for non-Americans. [2] Elite universities propagated self-ID through admissions forms. They lacked options for complex backgrounds like Indian-Ugandan, pressuring multiple checks. [3]
▶ Supporting Quotes (4)
“Mr. Mamdani’s approach to identity boxes reflects experiences and decisions that have exasperated people across the country, according to many Americans who shared their stories in interviews and in replies to an online questionnaire from The New York Times that drew hundreds of responses.”— What's the Difference Between "Race" and "Ethnicity?"
“nice white liberals keep stumbling into these mistakes in part because they tend to be strikingly ignorant about affirmative action. The defenders of race quotas who really understand it, like college presidents, much prefer that everybody just shut up about it”— What's the Difference Between "Race" and "Ethnicity?"
“What I find so insane about this is how people are simply not smart enough to put themselves in someone else's shoes, and instead assume the US racial categories and codes - such as African-American meaning EXCLUSIVELY black people, not people from Africa - fit for everyone.”— Will Stancil Defends Zohran Mamdani's Blackness
““Most college applications don’t have a box for Indian-Ugandans, so I checked multiple boxes trying to capture the fullness of my background,” said Mr. Mamdani”— Crémieux reveals Mamdani applied to college as "Black or African American"
Resulting Policies
Affirmative action admissions relied on self-reported race boxes since 2000. This allowed multiple races, enabling claims like Mamdani's for preferences originally aimed at American slave descendants. [1] The Census separated ethnicity as Hispanic or non-Hispanic. It forced single choices despite multiracial realities, but race allowed multiples since 2000. [1] College applications, such as Columbia's, included 'Black or African American' checkboxes. These were explicitly for affirmative action to benefit certain races like sub-Saharans while denying to Asians. [2] Columbia University's 2009 admissions policy used race-conscious affirmative action. It based decisions on self-reported race checkboxes, enacted before the 2023 Supreme Court ban. [3]
▶ Supporting Quotes (4)
“When confronted with his having tried to get affirmative action privileges by pretending to be “Black or African-American” on his college applications”— What's the Difference Between "Race" and "Ethnicity?"
“residents of America have not been allowed to identify more than one ethnicity: you are either Hispanic or Non-Hispanic, choose one. The Census has let you pick more than one race box since 2000.”— What's the Difference Between "Race" and "Ethnicity?"
“Yes, but the grievances of Indians in Africa against Indians in India over which Indians will marry which Indians is not why American colleges ask about race. It’s to hand out affirmative action to some races, especially sub-Saharans, and to deny it to others, especially Asians.”— Will Stancil Defends Zohran Mamdani's Blackness
“Columbia, like many elite universities, used a race-conscious affirmative action admissions program at the time.”— Crémieux reveals Mamdani applied to college as "Black or African American"
Harm Caused
Self-ID allowed elite immigrants like Mamdani to claim benefits meant for disadvantaged slave descendants. Critics argue this eroded affirmative action legitimacy. [1] Category confusion prompted scandals questioning AA fairness. Growing questions surround its survival as the public learns preferences go beyond reparations. [1] Paulo Serodio suffered career destruction and suspension from medical school. His lawsuit was dismissed, with his life and career irreparably harmed. [2] Affirmative action categories invited edge-case exploitation. This potentially denied legitimate beneficiaries while advantaging non-sub-Saharans like Mamdani, fueling backlash against preferences. [2] Self-ID enabled undeserved hires like the Malone brothers. It displaced qualified whites and real minorities; Mamdani, a faculty nepo-baby, was rejected but the system undermined merit. [3]
▶ Supporting Quotes (5)
“America has been very, very good to these South Asian folks with zero justification for reparations from the United States, so why their son should think he was eligible for a thumb on the scale invented for American blacks is not really a question that defenders of racial preferences should want to be having at the moment.”— What's the Difference Between "Race" and "Ethnicity?"
“It’s reminding Americans that affirmative action isn’t just for the descendants of American slaves: its beneficiaries include immigrants, including elite immigrants like this son of an Academy Award winner and an Ivy League professor.”— What's the Difference Between "Race" and "Ethnicity?"
“"I wouldn't wish this to my worst enemy," he said. "I'm not exaggerating. This has destroyed my life, my career."”— Will Stancil Defends Zohran Mamdani's Blackness
“That’s one reason (among many) why the Trump Administration can be on the warpath against racial preferences with surprisingly little backlash so far.”— Will Stancil Defends Zohran Mamdani's Blackness
“They were fired.”— Crémieux reveals Mamdani applied to college as "Black or African American"
Downfall
Mounting evidence challenges the assumption through cases like Mamdani's application revelation in 2025. Opponents highlighted his lack of Black African ancestry, fueling backlash. [1] Federal definitions clashed with self-ID stories, like those in New York Times questionnaires. This revealed biological ancestry rules, breaking the flexible identity spell. [1] Paulo Serodio's 2009 lawsuit dismissal by a federal judge exposed inconsistencies. It attributed suspension to misconduct like explicit images and inflammatory emails rather than self-ID alone, questioning the assumption's application. [2] The 2025 hack of Columbia data exposed Mamdani's Black claim. The past Malone scandal led to firings and a citywide purge hunt, breaking trust in self-ID. [3]
▶ Supporting Quotes (4)
“Some opponents sought to make political grist out of Mr. Mamdani’s choice on the form, pointing out that he is not Black and questioning whether he had tried to gain an unfair advantage in the university’s admissions process.”— What's the Difference Between "Race" and "Ethnicity?"
“The term African American has generally been used to describe Americans whose ancestors were from the Black racial groups of Africa.”— What's the Difference Between "Race" and "Ethnicity?"
“U.S. District Court Judge Stanley Chesler dismissed a lawsuit filed by a former medical student at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey who claimed he was harassed after describing himself as "White African American" in a cultural diversity class.”— Will Stancil Defends Zohran Mamdani's Blackness
“Last month’s cyberattack appears to have been carried out in order to see if Columbia was still using race-conscious affirmative action in its admission policies after the Supreme Court effectively barred the practice in 2023.”— Crémieux reveals Mamdani applied to college as "Black or African American"
Sources
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[1]
What's the Difference Between "Race" and "Ethnicity?"reputable_journalism
- [2]
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[3]
Crémieux reveals Mamdani applied to college as "Black or African American"reputable_journalism