Althea T. L. Simmons (April 17, 1924 - September 13, 1990) was a civil rights activist and attorney with the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

for over 35 years. Simmons was the head of the NAACP's Washington D.C. office and its chief lobbyist from 1979 to 1990. She was well-known for her effective lobbying, close monitoring of lawmakers' voting habits, and her commanding presence. She died at the age of 66 from respiratory failure after hip surgery.

Early life

Simmons was born in

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is t ...

to M.M. Simmons and B.E. Simmons. and as a teen, she lived with her family in Winnsboro, Louisiana. She attended college at

Southern University Southern University and A&M College (Southern University, Southern, SUBR or SU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is the largest historically black college or university (HBCU) in Louisiana, a ...

, a

historically Black university Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. Mo ...

in Baton Rouge, and earned a law degree from

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

. Simmons also earned a marketing degree from the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

Career

Simmons joined the NAACP in the mid-1950s and worked in various capacities. She joined NAACP's West Coast division in 1961 and worked on issues related to voter registration.Jet (1986-09-15). ''Althea Simmons Moves to Disqualify Rehnquist''. Vol. 70, no. 26. Johnson Publishing Company. p. 16. https://books.google.com/books?id=L7MDAAAAMBAJ&dq=Althea+Simmons+Willian+Rehnquist&pg=PA16 In NAACP's New York branch, she was the associate director of branch and field services, and she was also National Education Director, National Training Director, and Director of Special Voter Registration Drives. As chief lobbyist for the NAACP in Washington D.C. from 1979 to 1990, Simmons exerted her influence on federal civil rights legislation. She helped to pass the 1982 extension and amendment of the

Voting Rights Act The suffrage, Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of Federal government of the United States, federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President of the United ...

, worked to make

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

's birthday a holiday, and also advocated for legislation imposing sanctions on South Africa due to

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

. Simmons noted that the observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday was an opportunity for white people to learn about race relations, as the history books provided scant information about civil rights. Simmons also argued against the appointment of

William Rehnquist William Hubbs Rehnquist ( ; October 1, 1924 – September 3, 2005) was an American attorney and jurist who served on the U.S. Supreme Court for 33 years, first as an associate justice from 1972 to 1986 and then as the 16th chief justice from ...

as Chief Justice of the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

, as she alleged that Rehnquist engaged in activities aimed at thwarting voter participation by African Americans and Latinos in the 1960s in Arizona. She also stated Rehnquist's subsequent record as an attorney and judge reflected a very narrow interpretation of the scope of the 14th Amendment and consistent opposition to civil rights laws. In her Senate testimony against Rehnquist's confirmation as chief justice, Simmons noted that "even though a person is a genius, if he lacks compassion, it distorts reality and cripples objectivity." Simmons closely monitored the voting records of lawmakers, as she observed that " 's not enough to just listen to the politicians at election time. Start monitoring how they vote. Often they will say something on the floor of the House or Senate just to get into the Congressional Record, but they vote just the opposite." While hospitalized prior to her death, Simmons continued her work and helped lobby for the

Civil Rights Act of 1990 The Civil Rights Act of 1990 was a bill that, had it been signed into law, would have made it easier for litigants in race or sex discrimination cases to win. It was introduced into the 101st United States Congress on February 7, 1990, by Senator ...

, which was passed by the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

. It was vetoed by then-

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

about one month after her death. On September 17, 1990, four days after her death, U.S. Senator

Ted Kennedy Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...

read a tribute to Simmons into the Senate's

Congressional Record The ''Congressional Record'' is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress, published by the United States Government Publishing Office and issued when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record Inde ...

, where he referred to her as the "101st Senator on civil rights" and a "great champion in the continuing struggle to fulfill the constitutional promises of equal justice for all"

Personal

Simmons was an active member of the Asbury United Methodist Church in Washington D.C. She also served as a committee member at the

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...

Board of Pensions. She was a member of the

Delta Sigma Theta Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that assist the African American community. Delta ...

sorority, which named its Social Action Award after her. Awardees of the Althea T. L. Simmons Social Action Award include

Hazel N. Dukes Hazel Nell Dukes (born 1932) is an American activist. She is the past national president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Life Hazel Nell Dukes was born on March 17, 1932, in Montgomery, Alabama. Her pare ...

, a member of the NAACP National Board of Directors, and voting rights activist Melanie L. Campbell.

Selected honors

* President's Award of

Washburn University Washburn University (WU) is a public university in Topeka, Kansas, United States. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,100 u ...

Alumni Award for Postgraduate Achievement in Law and Public Service * Gertrude E. Rush Award of the

National Bar Association The National Bar Association (NBA) was founded in 1925 and is the nation's oldest and largest national network of predominantly African-American attorneys and judges. It represents the interests of approximately 65,000 lawyers, judges, law profess ...

Patricia Roberts Harris Patricia Roberts Harris (May 31, 1924March 23, 1985) was an American politician, diplomat and legal scholar. She served as the 6th United States secretary of housing and urban development from 1977 to 1979 and as the 13th United States secretary ...

Award of

sorority

Selected publications

* Althea T. L. Simmons. From Brown to Detroit: Blueprint for Education, ''Theory Into Practice'', vol. 17, no. 1, 1978, pp. 67–71 * Althea T. L. Simmons. Review of Maggie's American Dream, ''

The Journal of Negro Education ''The Journal of Negro Education'' was a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by Howard University, established in 1932 by Charles Henry Thompson, who was its editor-in-chief for more than 30 years.The Crisis ''The Crisis'' is the official magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). It was founded in 1910 by W. E. B. Du Bois (editor), Oswald Garrison Villard, J. Max Barber, Charles Edward Russell, Kelly Mi ...

,'' vol. 91, no. 4, 1984, pp. 8–10

External links

C-SPAN Videos 1984-1989

NAACP

Harvard Art Museum

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simmons, Althea T. L. African-American lawyers American women lawyers American civil rights activists American civil rights lawyers 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people African-American activists African-American Methodists Howard University School of Law alumni Southern University alumni University of Illinois alumni People from Shreveport, Louisiana National Bar Association