James Meredith says he conquered white supremacy and created a new Mississippi 59 years ago when he became the first black student to enroll at the University of Mississippi – a school whose long-held nickname, Ole Miss, is rooted in the vernacular of the Confederacy plantations.
Today, someone close to Meredith sells “New Miss” merchandise and tries to create a logo with cursive script almost identical to the college’s Ole Miss logo. The university is fighting the branding effort, arguing that the New Miss merchandise is “puzzlingly similar” to its ubiquitous brand.
Suzi Altman is a photographer who often follows Meredith to document her public appearances. She filed for the New Miss brand in July 2020, shortly after selling the first T-shirts and other merchandise. Altman said she was using the mark to try to raise funds for a museum that would preserve Meredith’s legacy – a project that still has a long way to go. She said that as of mid-November, she still hadn’t made a profit on the merchandise.
This June 27, 2018 photo shows civil rights activist James Meredith in Jackson, Mississippi. “I’ve been in God’s business all of my life,” Meredith says. “Ole Miss for me was nothing but a mission from God. The Meredith Walk Against Fear was my most important mission from God, until this one comes right now: to uplift moral character and make people aware of their duty to follow God’s plan and to follow them. teachings of Jesus Christ. »(AP Photo / Rogelio V. Solis)
Meredith was already a veteran of the military when he entered the University of Mississippi in 1962 under a federal court order and amid resistance from an intimidating governor. The Federal Marshals protected him as mob violence erupted under the oaks and magnolias on the Oxford campus.
A few years ago, a friend of hers gave Meredith a baseball cap with a logo that looked like Ole Miss but said “New Miss”. This friend, Reverend Robert West, said the phrase more specifically symbolized how Meredith changed a state with a tarnished legacy of slavery and segregation.
“We were inspired by James’ story,” Altman told The Associated Press during a conversation about why she started selling New Miss items.
Altman’s New Miss t-shirts, hats and flags use the same script as the Ole Miss logo that appears on football helmets, sports shirts, marketing materials and all manner of merchandise licensed from the University of the Mississippi. Many of its products also use the same colors as the university’s: cardinal red, navy blue, and powder blue.
The top t-shirt features one of the University of Mississippi logos, while the bottom t-shirt, a New Miss product, sports an almost identical logo to the ubiquitous Ole Miss University brand. , pictured November 9, 2021 in Jackson, Miss University opposes the trademark application filed by brand marketer New Miss. (AP Photo / Rogelio V. Solis)
Altman uses photos of Meredith on his New Miss Brand website. The backs of some baseball caps are embroidered with “James H. Meredith 1962”.
Meredith, 88, was elusive himself when asked if he had given his blessing to Altman’s business venture.
“I’m glad someone wants to do something,” he told the AP, before adding, “Everyone made money with James Meredith except James Meredith. “
Meredith is touring Mississippi for what he calls her final mission from God, urging people to keep the Ten Commandments. Some days he wears an Ole Miss baseball cap. Other days, he trades it for one with a New Miss logo on it.
“I see no reason why the Ole Miss and the New Miss couldn’t coexist,” Meredith said.
The university does not see it that way. In a development first reported by the Clarion Ledger, the university stated in its objection to Altman’s trademark application that the New Miss items “are in some cases identical and in all cases similar” to the merchandise. Ole Miss.
In a filing filed Nov. 29, Altman’s attorney denied that the New Miss logo is “confusingly similar” to that of Ole Miss and said the New Miss logo is protected by the First Amendment and as a parody.
The university declined to make anyone available for an interview with the AP, but said in a statement it had unsuccessfully tried to resolve the issue with Altman.
“The University of Mississippi is affectionately known by our students, alumni and others across the country as the Ole Miss, and identifies the university with the Ole Miss script logo,” said the communications manager of the university, Jim Zook. “The University has an obligation to protect its mark against similar confusing marks. “
The college says the nickname Ole Miss originated in a college yearbook contest in the late 1800s. The phrase “Ole Miss” had been used by slaves to refer to the wife of a plantation owner. .
The chancellor of the university released a report in 2014 on efforts to promote diversity on the state’s predominantly white campus with the highest percentage of black residents in the country. He said the university would continue to be called Ole Miss but should consider limiting the nickname to the context of athleticism and school spirit.
“Regardless of her background, the vast majority of people associated with our university (have) a strong affection for ‘Ole Miss’ and in no way associate its use with race,” the 2014 report states.
The university still uses Ole Miss for websites and email addresses, although some students and faculty are against it. The most popular people on campus, chosen in a student election, are Mr. and Miss Ole Miss.
Dee Rhymes, a 2021 University of Mississippi graduate, ran for Mr. Ole Miss in the fall of 2020 promising “Truth, Justice, and the New Miss Way.” Rhymes, who is black, didn’t win but said he wanted to inspire other students to think about a campus culture that could feel more fair and compassionate. Altman has gifted him New Miss products and he volunteers as a brand ambassador.
Dee Rhymes speaks on Monday, November 15, 2021 in Jackson, Mississippi, about applying for a campus position in 2020 at the University of Mississippi with a focus on recreating the university’s image as ” Nouvelle Miss ”rather than Ole Miss. Rhymes, who graduated from college in 2021, has said he wants a new Mississippi that is focused on fairness and compassion. (AP Photo / Emily Wagster Pettus)
Rhymes said kissing New Miss rather than Ole Miss shouldn’t be controversial.
“The new Miss is just a new Mississippi or a new way of thinking – with the old one, with the new,” he said.
Altman said she had “no personal animosity” towards college or the Ole Miss nickname.
“I don’t care if they change their name. It’s not my fight, ”she said. “We’re all about a new Mississippi and the changes sweeping through the state. “
The University of Mississippi has strived to differentiate itself from Confederate imagery over the last generation.
In 1997, the university effectively prohibited sports fans from bringing Confederate battle flags to matches. Sports teams are still called the Rebels, but in 2003 the university retired Colonel Reb’s touchdown mascot. During the PA interview, Meredith wore shoes with Colonel Reb’s logo on them, saying he had won over the Colonel and could wear them if he wanted.
In 2006, the university dedicated a statue of Meredith on campus, and in 2020 the school moved a Confederate soldier monument that had stood for over a century in a central part of campus to a more remote location. The monument had been a rallying point for rioters when Meredith signed up.
Meredith now has two grandchildren at the University of Mississippi. He said one of his most rewarding moments on the Oxford campus occurred around a dozen years ago, when he saw young black sororities “walking through Ole Miss as if they owned the place ”.
“For me, that was the new Ole Miss,” Meredith said with a smile.
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