Mohamed Semra knows what it feels like to stand out, and what it takes to keep pushing forward when all eyes are on you.
In tonight’s episode of Australian Story, the Maribyrnong mayor reflects on his journey from a shy schoolboy with a debilitating stutter to one of Melbourne’s youngest civic leaders, opening up about a viral encounter that changed his life and the pressure of being a first for his community.
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He’s been hailed as the Mamdani of Maribyrnong. Like New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Mohamed Semra is young, Muslim and a social media master.
“Being the first to do something is difficult and it’s hard … but I’ve always wanted a seat at the table,” says Mayor Semra from council in inner west Melbourne.
Now 27, Mohamed Semra has been through more than most. His family migrated from Sudan when he was three.
As a schoolboy, he overcame a debilitating stutter before he could speak confidently in public.
As a teenager, he and his friends were kicked out of an Apple Store by guards worried they might steal. The boys filmed the encounter and it went viral, forcing Apple to apologise.
“That day changed everything for me,” he says.
At 26, he was elected as an independent to Maribyrnong Council and became mayor last year, aged 27.
“I definitely think there’s an intense pressure and also more eyes on him,” says community worker Tigist Kebede.
“Because he’s the first, the only, the different.”
Semra understands the stakes are high.
“If I succeed, it will open up the door for so many after me. But if I fail, a lot of communities will feel that.”
