JACKSON, MISS — A young African-American college senior was sworn in this month becoming the youngest member of the Mississippi House on his 22nd birthday.
Jeramey Anderson, a democrat who will represent District 110, won the vacated seat beating out the party-backed former Moss Point Mayor Aneice Liddell with 60 percent of the vote in a special run-off election Nov. 26. Anderson’s first legislative session is scheduled for noon Jan. 7, 2014.
“I was going to stick to municipal government and, in my opinion, it’s go big or go home,” he told The Washington Post about his decision to go for a state level office at such a young age. “I felt that with that position opening up I felt like my service would be better off in that capacity than in a local position. We went into the election with the intent to win, and we started out with momentum and energized the community to get them excited about the opportunity we were presenting to them.”
Born and raised in Moss Point on the Mississippi Gulf Coast east of Gulfport, Anderson attended Moss Point High School in Mississippi and received his associate degree in criminal justice from Pearl River Community College. He is currently a senior at Tulane University studying homeland security and public relations.
Anderson’s interest in politics solidified in high school. He was his class president from sophomore through senior year. However, his interest to seriously enter politics was sparked after attending a political camp in 11th grade.
“I’ve always been interested in leadership roles,” Anderson said in an interview with the Jackson Free Press. “I was class president in my sophomore, junior and senior years in high school. But my interest in politics really got started in my 11th grade year, when I went to Boys State.”
One of Anderson’s main concerns is how to designate more funding towards education and increase teacher’s pay in his district.
“I campaigned on improving an education system that could use some work. The system in my district has a ways to go, but I intend to work toward improving its quality. I want to be a spokesperson to the people of my district and to the young people of our state as a representative. I want to push towards fully funding education in the state, making sure we have quality educators, and engaging students so they are eager to learn and come to school. I want to make graduation something they want to do rather than something they have to do.
“We focus too highly on standardized testing,” he told The Hattiesburg Sun Herald. “We teach students to memorize the answers to specific questions and ideas, but what we don’t teach them is how is they got those answers. We need to get back to the foundation of understanding why things are what they are. I think it would improve our education system.”
Anderson’s grandmother, Fannie Joseph, recalled early signs of his instinct to give back.
“When he was very young in elementary school, I felt he was going to do something to help people,” Joseph said in an interview with USA Today. He also founded a non-profit organization aimed at mentoring young boys, The Purple Knights of America.
Purple Knights is dedicated to mentoring young boys ages 11-18. The program takes students to six colleges each year, from community colleges to Ivy League schools, so that students can be exposed to a variety of school atmospheres and be knowledgeable about their choices when it comes time to pick a school.
Interviewed on MSNBC’s, “The Daily Rundown” Anderson credited his interest in leadership to his early involvement with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, which he joined at age 6.
In 2010, the organization named Anderson Youth of the Year of the Jackson branch and first runner-up for the State of Mississippi Youth of the Year. As Youth of the Year, he created a fundraiser called “Hearts for Haiti” to send funds and donations to the earthquake victims in Haiti. His hometown was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Anderson, a senior at Tulane University’s Gulf Coast campus in Biloxi, says his school is very understanding and will allow him to complete classes and assignments online when legislature is in session.
And although he will be entering a majority Republican branch, Anderson is more interested in bipartisanship.
“I’ve had contact with several different Republicans locally. And everybody in general is just excited to have a different perspective in the House. I don’t see party lines. I want to do what’s best for my district and do what’s best for this state, before I see an R or a D behind somebody’s name.”
Ever the politician he also has a message for his constituents in his interview with the Jackson Free Press.
“I always try to include a thank you to the voters in interviews,” Anderson said. “Electing a 22-year-old is not something that commonly happens. I think my district should be commended for pushing Mississippi towards a more progressive era, and I want to thank the young people in my district for moving our state forward.”