The victory makes him Mississippi’s first Black senator-elect since Reconstruction
Scott Colom, Mississippi’s first Black U.S. senator-elect since Reconstruction, is a fan of sweatshirts and hoodies — and nearly every piece he wears carries a message. The 43-year-old Democrat’s attire typically expresses pride in Mississippi and Black America.
Colom stumps for Mississippi as a whole while embracing its civil rights history and its Black residents — the largest proportion of the population and electorate of any U.S. state.
“I’m just glad that the media is getting the opportunity to see our state,” Colom told reporters during the post-Election Day extended ballot count. “Go out and talk to our Mississippians. They’re very proud of this moment.”
That day he wore the distinctive “A” logo of one of Mississippi’s historically Black universities. “Today, I’m proud to have my Alcorn State gear on,” he said, crediting his political director, Theresa Kennedy — an Alcorn alum who had noticed his Jackson State University sweatshirt the day before.
Throughout the campaign, Colom has touted Mississippi’s historically Black universities. He also promised Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Southern Miss alumni and fans, “I’ll get to all of y’all.”
On the day he learned The Associated Press had called the race in his favor, Colom wore a hoodie bearing a photo of the late comedian Richard Pryor, whose repertoire includes searing commentary on racism and classism in America.
Another of his sweatshirts carries the most famous quote from Bob Moses, an early civil rights organizer in Mississippi: “When you’re in Mississippi, the rest of America doesn’t seem real. And when you’re in the rest of America, Mississippi doesn’t seem real.”
Colom also has his own sweatshirt merchandise, printed with his campaign motto: “Mississippi matters.”