Scott Colom’s historic Mississippi Senate win is about more than one man: ‘We did not do this alone’

 Scott Colom honors the communities, organizers, and legacy of civil rights icons who made his Senate win possible in victory speech.

The impact of Scott Colom’s senatorial win has resonated from Mississippi to Black communities across the country. Last night, thanks to the efforts of hundreds of organizers and volunteers across the state, Mississippi elected Colom to represent the southern state in the Senate, its first Black Senator since Reconstruction. After defying the odds of prognosticator polls and doubtful onlookers, the Colom for Senate campaign celebrated his historic win with a celebration that felt rooted in community and culture. 

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And when he took the stage, the senator-elect did not shy away from spotlighting the faith, work, and ancestors who paved the way for his victory.

“For me, this journey started with the prayer, y’all. And in Mississippi, our prayers have often changed the course of history,” Colom shared in his victory speech, spotlighting that Hiram R. Revels, the first Black man to ever be elected a US Senator, was from Mississippi. He went on to honor other notable Mississippians such as Medgar Evers and Fannie Lou Hamer. 

“I can’t help but think about Medgar Evers on Veterans Day. A moment like this, when he served his country and came home to Mississippi when they wouldn’t let him vote. But he had faith that Mississippi could make progress. He had faith that one day everybody would have the right to vote. He had faith that a day like this was possible,” he continued. “When you talk about faith, you can’t forget Fannie Lou Hamer, who had faith that her being sick and tired could move a nation to understand that places like Mississippi have to matter. [She] had faith that even after she became a national celebrity and could have gone anywhere in the world, she came right back to Mississippi. She had faith.” 

And like his predecessors, Colom says prayer and faith carried him across the threshold of this campaign. 

“There were times that I couldn’t get donors to answer the phone. They did not believe a moment like this was possible. But I kept the faith. When I did my first town hall in Jackson, Mississippi, less than ten people showed up. But I kept the faith. I kept the faith. There were times when I was tired. And I felt like I couldn’t keep going. But I kept the faith.” 

However, he acknowledged that he did not do this alone. From his wife to his family to his campaign manager to the volunteers, the Mississippi senator-elect and his wife Nadia Dale Colom, noted the village it took to reach this point. 

“The truth is, we did not do this alone. In fact, we couldn’t have,” Nadia Colom shared in her speech. “But tonight, I personally and especially have to thank you, the voters of Mississippi. I have to be honest: by the 23rd month of [campaigning], the demands of being an actively supportive spouse while being a business owner and solo parenting sometimes began to stack up on me like a ton of bricks. But last Wednesday, for every brick I felt, there were counties that were filled with voters that dared to take back our voice in D.C.”

“For months, I’ve been telling everybody, everywhere I go, that we’re going to win this election. But every time I said it, I pointed out that people were going to give me too much credit for it because it’s not something that I did it is something that we did,” Colom added. “All I did was have the courage to imagine a night like this. I had the courage to believe in Mississippi.I had the courage to understand that we could show the country that Mississippi matters.”

And while Colom’s campaign has sparked a wave of hope in Black communities in and outside of the state, the Senator-elect took a moment to speak to Mississippians. 

“In Mississippi, it’s local people that make the difference, not just the names that are recorded in the history, but people that do the work without any expectation of recognition,” he stressed. “And I’ll tell you, it’s local people that have faith that Mississippi can make progress.”

“God didn’t want us to get it the easy way. He wanted us to get it the Mississippi way…But I want to have a final word to every Mississippian,” he concluded. “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 going to treat your future the way I want my future to be. My commitment is to be someone who continues to stay in prayer, continues to have faith, and continues to work to make every Mississippians life better. I make a solemn commitment to each and every Mississippian today, in every decision I make. I will never forget he most important thing: Mississippi matters.”