OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
3:52 PM – Thursday, June 26, 2025
Former New York Representative Jamaal Bowman asserted during an appearance on CNN’s “NewsNight” program that the disproportionate rates of chronic illnesses—such as cancer and diabetes—among Black Americans can be attributed to the stress of enduring daily racial slurs, such as the “N-word.”
“The reason why heart disease and cancer and obesity and diabetes are bigger in the Black community is because of the stress we carry from having to deal with being called the ‘N-word’ directly or indirectly every day,” Bowman said.
Bowman continued, arguing on Wednesday that the United States has yet to adequately confront “America’s original sin”—its enduring legacy of “hatred and racism toward Black and Brown communities”—which, he argued, continues to manifest in the form of negative health outcomes for those racial demographics.
The former New York congressman also maintained that the country could be significantly improved if members of the GOP would “listen and try to learn and engage and grow,” and stop being “hateful,” because then, we could “have a much better country” — he argued.
“We are not dealing with America‘s original sin and its disease of hate and racism towards Black and Brown people, and sexism towards women and anti-LGBTQ sentiment. We are not dealing with that. Your colleagues in the Republican Party do not hold each other accountable when it comes to the racism that comes from the party on a consistent basis,” Bowman continued.
His remarks followed a discussion on Zohran Mamdani’s victory in Tuesday’s New York City Democratic primary, which quickly escalated into a contentious exchange over “Islamophobia,” since critics have questioned whether a Muslim mayor can be loyal to the U.S. Constitution.
Some conservatives and even pro-Israel Democrats have also argued that the Islamic faith inherently conflicts with American values.
Mamdani’s Twelver Shia Islam religion—also known as Ithnāʿashariyyah, the largest branch of Shia Islam—contains religious doctrines and practices that, in a theocratic context, may not align with principles in the Constitution.
On the flip side, supporters of Mamdani’s socialist policies contend that he has no intention of imposing his religious beliefs on New Yorkers. They also argue that concerns about his religion are rooted in Islamophobia and xenophobia rather than any legitimate policy critique, similar to the arguments made on CNN.
The debate was sparked when CNN’s Abby Phillip accused prominent “MAGA-world” figures — including Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Charlie Kirk, and Laura Loomer — of posting “Islamophobic” content on social media in response to Mamdani’s win.
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