4 min read
New Miss started as a gift: one hat given to an iconic figure in the University of Mississippi’s history. It later turned into a clothing brand, then became a student’s campaign platform and now, the two words represent a mission centered around love, compassion, equity and equality.
The story of New Miss begins with James Meredith in 1962 and continues today with the help of one of Meredith’s long-time friends and two UM students hoping to heal, grow and reform the University of Mississippi and the state as a whole.
Meredith, the first Black man to attend the university and a civil rights icon, was given the original New Miss hat by Pastor Robert West about three years ago. He’s worn it nearly every day since, according to Suzi Altman, a photojournalist and friend of Meredith for the past 20 years. Altman said West had the hat made for Meredith, telling him, “The day you stepped on the Ole Miss campus, it ceased to be Ole Miss. It became New Miss. October 1, 1962, it became New Miss.”