Scott Colom celebrates Mississippi Senate win as first Black senator since 1875

Victory follows more than a week of affidavit ballot curing and counting

About a thousand people gathered on the Woodworth Chapel Lawn at Tougaloo College, a historically Black college in Jackson, to celebrate the win they had hoped and worked for, according to the Guardian’s account of the night. The celebration came only after a long finish: more than a week of affidavit ballot curing and vote counting passed before Colom’s defeat of Cindy Hyde-Smith in the closely contested race was official.

A DJ played classic southern line dance tunes, and much of the crowd danced while they waited for Mississippi’s new senator-elect to arrive. All of the Divine 9 — the National Pan-Hellenic Council, an umbrella organization of nine historically Black Greek-letter fraternities and sororities — were represented, their members wearing paraphernalia bearing their organizations’ letters. Others wore gear from some of the state’s colleges and universities: Tougaloo College, Alcorn State University, Millsaps College, Jackson State University and Mississippi State University, among others.

But for the fact that it was after 8 p.m. and the sun long gone, the gathering might have passed for a family reunion or a cookout. Babies and toddlers watched from strollers or their parents’ shoulders, mingling with elders who had participated in the civil rights movement and remembered just how hard the fight to secure the Voting Rights Act was — a crowd that was, in many ways, representative of the diversity of Mississippi itself.

The result carried more than a century of state history. Mississippi had not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1982, when John C Stennis — described in the Guardian’s report as a staunch segregationist — won a seventh term. The state had not sent a Black senator to Washington since 1875. Blanche K Bruce, who was born into slavery, ended his single term in office in 1881. His tenure followed that of Hiram Revels, the first Black man to serve in the US Senate, also from Mississippi.

Rev. Maxine Bolden, a Tougaloo graduate born in the 1960s, said being there “meant everything” to her. “I stand not only for me and for my children and grandchildren, but my parents are not here to see this,” Bolden told the Guardian. “They were active in the civil rights movement. To be able to witness the work, the proof of their work, and to see how the young people came out and participated – I’m just so proud. I’m proud for every reason that is. God came back and gave us all the marvels.”

The campaign was a family affair. Colom’s daughters, Lucy and Maddie, appeared in campaign ads, as did his wife, Nadia. During the event, Lucy and Maddie led the audience in the pledge of allegiance, while Nadia spoke to the crowd.

When Colom finally arrived, he walked out to T.I.’s “Let ‘Em Know,” and the audience — still galvanized even after hours of standing — roared. He spoke from behind a sign that read “Picked Another Senator,” a reference to his viral campaign ad, and talked about the state’s history and the power of prayer.

“All I did was have the courage to imagine a night like this,” Colom told the crowd. “I had the courage to believe in Mississippi. I had the courage to understand that we can show the country that Mississippi matters.”

He highlighted civil rights heroes from the state — Medgar Evers, Fannie Lou Hamer and Frank Figgers — and asked the crowd to cheer the veterans of the civil rights movement who were in attendance.

Bennie Thompson, also a Tougaloo graduate, was one of Colom’s early supporters, along with Figgers and Derrick Johnson, the president of the NAACP. For decades, Thompson was both Mississippi’s lone Black and lone Democratic congressional representative; with Colom’s election, that changed. “From my perspective, I now have a partner in Washington,” Thompson told the audience. He said Colom understood the importance of healthcare, education and housing and the impact of tariffs on Mississippi. “You know, I just now have a partner that gets it. … I have a partner that can do wonders just because he cares. But more importantly, he listens. And that’s something that we haven’t had in this state in a long time.”

Aznii Welchlin, president of Tougaloo’s student government association, was active in the months-long campaign to mobilize voters that followed Louisiana v Callais, the Supreme Court decision the Guardian described as having gutted the Voting Rights Act. Welchlin led a march by students to vote and helped cure affidavit ballots after the election. She spoke with Walker Lake, president of Mississippi State University’s college Democrats, and to the audience quoted Sam Cooke’s famous song: “It’s been a long time coming, but a change is going to come.”

Dr. Charles Holmes, a longtime educator, said he wasn’t sure how many people understood the historical significance of Colom’s election — how it was entangled in a larger story about the state’s Reconstruction and Jim Crow pasts, and what it meant for the future. By being there, he said, those in attendance are part of history.

Colom ended the night with a pledge to Mississippians: “My commitment to you, each and every one of you, is that first I’m going to treat your children like I want my children to be treated. I’m going to treat your parents the way I want my parents to be treated. I’m gonna treat your future the way I want my future to be” — and a promise to “work to make every Mississippian’s life better.”