Currently, James Meredith gives lectures at various places such as universities. He has a used car dealership in Mississippi. In 2002, there was a celebration for the anniversary of his arrival at Ole Miss. However, he didn’t attend the anniversary and even said, “It was an embarrassment for me to be there. And for somebody to celebrate it, oh my God.” James Meredith believes that blacks should learn to speak English correctly and he lectured on the topic at the Ole Miss library in 1998. During the same lecture, he conveyed his belief that he is a descendant of the Choctaw Indians and that his father would probably have been the chief. His belief is supported by his idea that black Mississippians were probably descendants of the Choctaws. Meredith tried to attain a seat in Congress and also for Mayor of Jackson in 1991. Both of his political campaigns failed to get him elected.